# aileron

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈeɪləɹɒn/ · frequency rank #81,085

## Definitions
1. The hinged part on the trailing edge of an airplane wing, used to control longitudinal turns.
2. A half gable, as at the end of a penthouse or of the aisle of a church.

## Etymology
Borrowed from French aileron, diminutive of aile (“wing”), also refers to the extremities of a bird's wings used to control their flight. It first appeared in print in the 7th edition of Cassell's French-English Dictionary of 1877, with its lead meaning of "small wing". In the context of powered airplanes it appears in print about 1908, in the French aviation journal L'Aérophile.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/aileron