parawingn.
/ˈparəwɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈpɛrəˌwɪŋ/ Aeronautics.
A type of parachute having a flattened shape like a wing to give greater manoeuvrability.
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society > travel > air or space travel > a means of conveyance through the air > parachute > [noun] > parachute device consisting of wings
paraplane1942
parawing1960
1960 R. L. Naeseth Explor. Study Parawing as High-lift Device for Aircraft (NASA TN D-629) 1 A wind-tunnel investigation was made of the high-lift capabilities of two supersonic airplane configurations equipped with auxiliary parawings which are lightweight, stowable, fabric wings of parachute-like construction that may be used for take-off and landing.
1966 Guardian 12 May 14/5 Inflated triangular ‘parawings’ are being tested by the US army for possible use in place of parachutes. The parawing, which can be folded, packed and released like a parachute, inflates on opening into a flattened triangular dirigible that glides and manoeuvres through the air.
1973 D. Poynter Hang Gliding ii. 54 The idea of a limp para wing was presented to NASA as a reentry vehicle and millions of dollars were spent in research and tests... Stiffened Para Wings have performed much better than the limp models.
1999 Daily Record (Glasgow) (Nexis) 28 July 5 Parachutists and skydivers leap from aircraft and float down on parawings and chutes.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2005; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1960