any of a class of heavier-than-air craft that are lifted and sustained in the air horizontally by rotating wings or blades turning on vertical axes through power supplied by an engine.
verb (used without object)
to fly in a helicopter.
verb (used with object)
to convey in a helicopter.
Origin of helicopter
From the French word hélicoptère, dating back to 1885–90. See helico-, -pter
At about 11 p.m. State Police started flying a helicopter over the scene, ordering the crowds to disperse.
Frat Culture Clashes With Riot Police at Keene, N.H., Pumpkin Festival|Melanie Plenda|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Moreover, with a helicopter, it is not necessary to face the direction you intend to go.
The Four-Faced Visitors of Ezekiel|Arthur W. Orton
He took two steps on the swaying, swinging rope as the helicopter started to climb and suddenly he felt himself losing strength.
The Secret of the Ninth Planet|Donald Allen Wollheim
The helicopter was circling now over the men riding into a cut between two rises.
The Defiant Agents|Andre Alice Norton
One of the vanes of the helicopter crumpled and fluttered away into the night.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science, October, 1930|Various
But the helicopter must be taken before they advanced toward the ship and the settlement.
The Defiant Agents|Andre Alice Norton
British Dictionary definitions for helicopter
helicopter
/ (ˈhɛlɪˌkɒptə) /
noun
an aircraft capable of hover, vertical flight, and horizontal flight in any direction. Most get all of their lift and propulsion from the rotation of overhead bladesSee also autogiro
verb
to transport (people or things) or (of people or things) to be transported by helicopter
Word Origin for helicopter
C19: from French hélicoptère, from helico- + Greek pteron wing
Did You Know How This Word Was Formed?Words are funny things. Here are some that might not mean what you thought ... at least when they were originally formed.