: a rotary-wing aircraft that employs a propeller for forward motion and a freely rotating rotor for lift
Illustration of autogiro
Examples of autogiro in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebIn 1938, Congress approved legislation intended to rescue the autogiro industry.—Alice George, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Jan. 2023 Two years after the autogiro’s 1931 triumphs, its commercial market collapsed.—Alice George, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Jan. 2023 Gyrocopters: 1939 to 1940s The autogiro, a single-person helicopter-ish vehicle, was invented in the early 1920s by a Spanish engineer named Juan de law Cierva.—Popular Mechanics Editors, Popular Mechanics, 18 Jan. 2019 The Autogyro
Spanish engineer Juan de la Cierva invented and first flew his autogiro in Madrid in January 1923.—Alex Davies, WIRED, 3 July 2014
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'autogiro.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
borrowed from Spanish, from auto-auto- + giro "turn, rotation," going back to Latin gyrus "circular course, circle, ring" — more at gyre entry 1
Note:
The first practical rotorcraft, dubbed in Spanish the autogiro, was developed by the self-taught aeronautical engineer Juan de la Cierva (1895-1936) in 1923. The name was later registered as a trademark in the U.S. by the Pitcairn Aircraft Company.
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