释义 |
orthopter|ɔːˈθɒptə(r)| [ad. F. orthoptère, f. mod.L. orthoptera: see next.] 1. An insect of the order Orthoptera.
1882in Ogilvie. 1935Discovery July 199/1 Another orthopter, Ephippigera vitium Latr...lives in the Pacific and west Mediterranean areas, and in some places in Central Europe as a ‘Pontic relic’. †2. Aeronaut. Also -ptere. [ad. F. orthoptère (de Ponton d'Amécourt 1862: see S. Stubelius Balloon, Flying-Machine, Helicopter (1960) 90); so called because of the ‘straight’ (vertical) motion of the wings.] = ornithopter. Obs. App. misinterpreted at first in Eng. as referring to a clockwork flying model. The word was superseded c 1909 by ornithopter, and for a time attempts were made (chiefly in dicts. and glossaries) to differentiate the meanings of the two words on etymological grounds. (See S. Stubelius Balloon, Flying-Machine, Helicopter (1960) 93–7.)
1868Catal. First Exhib. Aeronaut. Soc. Gt. Brit. 11 (heading) Working models. 12 Orthoptere. Viscount de Ponton d'Amecourt,..Paris. 1873J. B. Pettigrew Animal Locomotion 217 MM. Nadar, Pontin [sic] d'Amécourt, and de la Landelle have constructed clockwork models (orthopteres), which..raise themselves into the air. 1887tr. J. Verne's Clipper of Clouds vii. 65 If the orthopter—striking like the wings of a bird—raised itself by beating the air, the helicopter raised itself by striking the air obliquely with the fins of the screw as it mounted on an inclined plane. 1906Sci. Amer. 18 Aug. 115/3 ‘Aéronef’, or ‘appareil d'aviation’ (aviation apparatus) means an apparatus heavier than air, of which there are several kinds, such as..(3) L'Orthoptère (orthopter) or mechanical bird, i.e., an aéronef sustained and propelled by beating wings. 1909[see ornithopter]. 1909Westm. Gaz. 23 Mar. 4/2 The Lamplough orthopter is not dependent for its sustentation in the air on rapid motion. 1910Flight II. 58/1 All types of helicopeters [sic] and orthopters. 1917Jane's All World's Aircraft A. 10/2 Orthopter, an intended-to-fly machine in which the wings are flapped mechanically in a manner which the designer believes would be the right way for a bird to flap its wings if its Creator had known more about aero-dynamics. |