What does monoplane mean?
A monoplane is an aircraft with one main pair of wings, in contrast to a biplane, which has two tiers of wings, or a multiplane, which has several. The word is especially common in aviation history, aircraft design, and descriptions of early pioneering aircraft. Monoplanes became the dominant form of general and commercial aviation because a single wing structure offered substantial advantages in weight, structural simplicity, and aerodynamic efficiency over stacked-wing designs. Although the term is still used technically, many speakers may understand “single-wing aircraft” more immediately. The word combines the prefix mono-, meaning “one,” with plane, referring to a wing or an aircraft; it should not be confused with the unrelated modern sense of a monopoly or a one-way fare, where the spelling is monopoly or monorail, respectively.
nounA monoplane is an aircraft with one main pair of wings, usually supported by a single fuselage. The term contrasts with a biplane or multiplane, whose wings are arranged in more than one tier.
- An aircraft with one main pair of wings.
"The lightweight monoplane took off smoothly and began its long flight over the mountains."
"The museum displays the monoplane in which the famous aviator made his historic flight."
"Many early aircraft designers experimented with monoplane designs before the configuration became standard."
The standard plural is monoplanes.
"Several monoplanes are displayed at the aviation museum."
The monoplane replaced the biplane as the dominant form of aircraft design because its single-wing structure is lighter and more aerodynamically efficient.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does monoplane come from?
“Monoplane” was formed in the 19th century from the combining form mono-, meaning “one,” and plane, in the sense of a wing or an aircraft. Its development followed the introduction of the biplane and referred to an aircraft with a single main wing arrangement. The element mono- comes from Greek monos, meaning “one,” while plane in this compound reflects French and Latin forms ultimately connected with Latin planum, meaning “flat” or “level.” The word is related in its Greek element to monopoly, monologue, monograph, and monotonic.
Related word forms
How monoplane is actually used
The term is primarily technical or historical. In general discussion, “single-wing aircraft” may be more accessible, while “monoplane” remains common in aviation history and aircraft design.
Easily confused with monoplane
A monoplane has one main wing arrangement, whereas a biplane has two wings stacked one above the other.