The Collaborative Dictionary

Winged \Winged\, a.

Furnished with wings; transported by flying; having winglike expansions. [1913 Webster]

Soaring with wings, or as if with wings; hence, elevated; lofty; sublime. [R.] [1913 Webster] How winged the sentiment that virtue is to be followed for its own sake. --J. S. Harford. [1913 Webster]

Swift; rapid. "Bear this sealed brief with winged haste to the lord marshal." --Shak. [1913 Webster]

Wounded or hurt in the wing. [1913 Webster]

(Bot.) Furnished with a leaflike appendage, as the fruit of the elm and the ash, or the stem in certain plants; alate. [1913 Webster]

(Her.) Represented with wings, or having wings, of a different tincture from the body. [1913 Webster]

Fanned with wings; swarming with birds. "The winged air darked with plumes." --Milton. [1913 Webster]

Wing \Wing\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Winged; p. pr. & vb. n. Winging.]

To furnish with wings; to enable to fly, or to move with celerity. [1913 Webster] Who heaves old ocean, and whowings the storms. --Pope. [1913 Webster] Living, to wing with mirth the weary hours. --Longfellow. [1913 Webster]

To supply with wings or sidepieces. [1913 Webster] The main battle, whose puissance on either side Shall be well winged with our chiefest horse. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

To transport by flight; to cause to fly. [1913 Webster] I, an old turtle, Will wing me to some withered bough. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

To move through in flight; to fly through. [1913 Webster] There's not an arrow wings the sky But fancy turns its point to him. --Moore. [1913 Webster]

To cut off the wings of or to wound in the wing; to disable a wing of; as, to wing a bird; also, [fig.] to wound the arm of a person. [1913 Webster +PJC] To wing a flight, to exert the power of flying; to fly. [1913 Webster]

Word Net

winged adj

1 having or as if having wings; "the winged feet of Mercury"; [ant: wingless]

2 very fast; as if with wings; "on winged feet"

Moby Thesaurus

agile, breakneck, dashing, double-quick, eagle-winged, expeditious, express, fast, fleet, flying, galloping, hair-trigger, hasty, headlong, hustling, light of heel, light-footed, lively, mercurial, nimble, nimble-footed, precipitate, prompt, quick, quick as lightning, quick as thought, rapid, reckless, running, snappy, spanking, speedy, swift

English

Adjective

1. having wings
2. flying or soaring as if on wings
3. swift

The science of wings is one of the principal applications of the science of aerodynamics.

In order for a wing to produce lift it has to be at a positive angle to the airflow. In that case a low pressure region is generated on the upper surface of the wing which draws the air above the wing downwards towards what would otherwise be a void after the wing had passed. On the underside of the wing a high pressure region forms accelerating the air there downwards out of the path of the oncoming wing. The pressure difference between these two regions produces an upwards force on the wing, called lift.

The pressure differences, the acceleration of the air and the lift on the wing are intrinsically one mechanism. It is therefore possible to derive the value of one by calculating another. For example lift can be calculated by reference to the pressure differences or by calculating the energy used to accelerate the air. Both approaches will result in the same answer if done correctly. Debates over which mathematical approach is the more convenient can be wrongly perceived as differences of opinion about the principles of flight and often create unnecessary confusion in the mind of the layman.

For a more detailed coverage see lift (force).

A common misconception is that it is the shape of the wing that is essential to generate lift by having a longer path on the top rather than the underside. This is not the case, thin flat wings can produce lift efficiently and aircraft with cambered wings can fly inverted as long as the nose of the aircraft is pointed high enough so as to present the wing at a positive angle of attack to the airflow.

The common aerofoil shape of wings is due to a large number of factors many of them not at all related to aerodynamic issues, for example wings need strength and thus need to be thick enough to contain structural members. They also need room to contain items such as fuel, control mechanisms and retracted undercarriage. The primary aerodynamic input to the wing’s cross sectional shape is the need to keep the air flowing smoothly over the entire surface for the most efficient operation. In particular, there is a requirement to prevent the low-pressure gradient that accelerates the air down the back of the wing becoming too great and effectively “sucking” the air off the surface of the wing. If this happens the wing surface from that point backwards becomes substantially ineffective.

The shape chosen by the designer is a compromise dependent upon the intended operational ranges of airspeed, angles of attack and wing loadings. Usually aircraft wings have devices, such as flaps, which allow the pilot to modify shape and surface area of the wing to be able to change its operating characteristics in flight.

The science of wings applies in other areas beyond conventional fixed-wing aircraft, including:

• Helicopters which use a rotating wing with a variable pitch or angle to provide a directional force

• The space shuttle which uses its wings only for lift during its descent

• Some racing cars, especially Formula One cars, which use upside-down wings to give cars greater adhesion at high speeds over 100mph.

• Sailing boats which use sails as vertical wings with variable fullness and direction to move across water.

Structures with the same purpose as wings, but designed to operate in liquid media, are generally called fins or hydroplanes, with hydrodynamics as the governing science. Applications arise in craft such as hydrofoils and submarines. Sailing boats use both fins and wings.

See also

• Flight
• Bird flight
• Flight feather
• Planform
• Insect flight
• List of soaring birds
• Flying and gliding animals

External links

• Demystifying the Science of Flight - Audio segment on NPR's Talk of the Nation Science Friday
• NASA's explanations and simulations
• Advanced Topics in Aerodynamics Wings for all speeds
• Evolution of flight in animals