What does winglet mean?
A winglet is a small winglike projection, most often used in aviation to describe a vertical or wing-shaped device fitted at the tip of an aircraft wing. Its curved surface interacts with airflow to weaken the swirling vortices that form at wingtips, reducing induced drag and improving fuel efficiency or range. The word can also be used more generally for a small winglike structure on an animal or another organism, although that sense is much less frequent in modern usage. In technical aviation writing, winglet refers to the appendage itself, while wingtip more often names the region or the device more generally. The construction combines wing with the diminutive suffix -let, accurately suggesting a miniature or reduced wing. Although short and unobtrusive, a winglet can have a noticeable effect on aircraft performance, making the term useful wherever aerodynamic efficiency, wing design, or modern aircraft design is discussed.
nounA winglet is a small, winglike projection, especially an aerodynamic device fitted to the tip of an aircraft's wing to reduce drag. The term can also refer more generally to a small winglike structure on an animal or other organism.
- A small aerodynamic projection attached to the tip of an aircraft wing to reduce induced drag.
- A small winglike projection on the body of an animal or other organism.
"The aircraft uses blended winglets to reduce drag at cruise altitude."
"The new aircraft uses blended winglets to improve fuel efficiency at cruise altitude."
"The organism bears a pair of tiny winglets that assist it as it moves through the water."
The plural winglets is standard when referring to more than one device or projection.
"The aircraft's blended winglets improve its efficiency at cruise altitude."
A winglet turns the messy swirl at a wingtip into smoother airflow, giving aircraft a small surface with an outsized effect on drag.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does winglet come from?
Winglet is an English diminutive compound formed from wing and the suffix -let. The suffix -let is used in English to make nouns denoting something smaller or lesser, as in booklet and starlet. Wing itself comes from Old Norse væng, so the modern word combines a borrowed Germanic base with a productive English diminutive formation.
Related word forms
How winglet is actually used
The word is especially common in aeronautical and engineering contexts. Its broader zoological sense is comparatively uncommon, while the aviation sense is neutral, formal, and widely understood.
Easily confused with winglet
A winglet is a particular small aerodynamic surface attached to a wingtip, whereas wingtip can refer to the tip of the wing itself or more generally to a device fitted there.