Flettner rotor

noun

A smooth cylinder with disc end-plates which is spun along its long axis and, as air passes at right angles across it, the Magnus effect causes an aerodynamic force to be generated in the direction perpendicular to both the long axis and the direction of air flow.

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Meanings

nounFlettner rotor (plural Flettner rotors)

plural Flettner rotors

  1. A smooth cylinder with disc end-plates which is spun along its long axis and, as air passes at right angles across it, the Magnus effect causes an aerodynamic force to be generated in the direction perpendicular to both the long axis and the direction of air flow.

Origin

Named after German aviation engineer and inventor Anton Flettner.

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Cite this entry
APA

Flettner rotor. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Flettner%20rotor

MLA

“Flettner rotor.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Flettner%20rotor. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Flettner rotor,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Flettner%20rotor.

Source: Flettner rotor on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.