What does triplane mean?
A triplane is an aircraft with three main wings, usually arranged in a vertical stack. The design developed during the early years of powered aviation, when engineers experimented with different wing arrangements to improve lift, stability, and maneuverability. Triplanes became especially prominent during the First World War, when aircraft such as the German Fokker Dr.I were used in combat. Their additional wings made them visually distinctive, but also introduced greater structural complexity and aerodynamic drag. The type is therefore most strongly associated with aviation history, although triplanes continue to appear in experimental, sporting, and recreational flying. In ordinary conversation, the word is uncommon and usually refers either to a historic aircraft or to the three-wing configuration in general. It is easily distinguished from a biplane, which has two main wings, and a monoplane, which has one.
nounAn aircraft with three main wings, typically arranged one above another. Triplanes are a specialized type of aircraft now most often encountered in aviation history and experimental or recreational flying.
- An aircraft having three main wings, usually arranged in a vertical stack.
"The museum’s Fokker Dr.I triplane became one of the best-known aircraft of the First World War."
"The aviation museum restored a rare triplane for its centenary display."
"The pilot performed a brief demonstration flight in the newly assembled triplane."
The usual plural of the noun.
"The collection includes several triplanes built during the early 20th century."
A triplane turns one wing into three, creating an unmistakable silhouette that helped make some of the most famous fighters in aviation history.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does triplane come from?
Triplane is an English technical formation combining tri-, meaning three, with the aeronautical word plane, referring to a wing or an aircraft. Its use belongs to the period when the basic configurations of powered aircraft were being named and developed. The related forms biplane and monoplane follow the same pattern, while airplane belongs to the broader family of English compounds using plane in its aviation sense.
How triplane is actually used
This is a technical aviation term rather than everyday vocabulary. It is especially associated with early military aviation, although modern triplanes are also built for experimental, sport, and recreational purposes.
Easily confused with triplane
A biplane has two main wings, whereas a triplane has three.
A monoplane has one main wing, whereas a triplane has three.