ornithopter
noun
or·ni·thop·ter ˈȯr-nə-ˌthäp-tər 
: an aircraft designed to derive its chief support and propulsion from flapping wings
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Mangini layered a cat purr over the ornithopter, with tent straps and beetle wings flapping in the wind. 
Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 13 Mar. 2022 The sequence was a massive collaboration among the behind-the-scenes artisans and starts with the characters flying an ornithopter, a dragonfly-like helicopter, which was practically built from blueprints by production designer Patrice Vermette. Daron James, Variety, 17 Mar. 2022 During one Dune scene in which Ferguson is trapped in a birdlike flying machine called an ornithopter, her terror was pushed to its white- knuckle limit. Christian Holub, EW.com, 3 Sep. 2021 Some of da Vinci's most influential designs and inventions include an ornithopter, perpetual motion models, gear systems, a massively gigantic crossbow, and a mobile bridge, among others. Daisy Hernandez, Popular Mechanics, 19 Sep. 2019 After selling rubber-band powered dragonfly and swallow ornithopters on their web site, they were featured in a 2002 issue of Popular Science, generating enormous publicity for their projects. John Baichtal, WIRED, 3 Oct. 2007
Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 13 Mar. 2022 The sequence was a massive collaboration among the behind-the-scenes artisans and starts with the characters flying an ornithopter, a dragonfly-like helicopter, which was practically built from blueprints by production designer Patrice Vermette. Daron James, Variety, 17 Mar. 2022 During one Dune scene in which Ferguson is trapped in a birdlike flying machine called an ornithopter, her terror was pushed to its white- knuckle limit. Christian Holub, EW.com, 3 Sep. 2021 Some of da Vinci's most influential designs and inventions include an ornithopter, perpetual motion models, gear systems, a massively gigantic crossbow, and a mobile bridge, among others. Daisy Hernandez, Popular Mechanics, 19 Sep. 2019 After selling rubber-band powered dragonfly and swallow ornithopters on their web site, they were featured in a 2002 issue of Popular Science, generating enormous publicity for their projects. John Baichtal, WIRED, 3 Oct. 2007 Word History
Etymology
International Scientific Vocabulary ornith- + -pter (as in helicopter)
First Known Use
1908, in the meaning defined above