Jesus nut

noun

The nut that holds the main rotor to the mast of some helicopters.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounJesus nut (plural Jesus nuts)

plural Jesus nuts

  1. slangaeronauticsThe nut that holds the main rotor to the mast of some helicopters.
  2. figurativelyslangA single point of failure with catastrophic consequences.

Origin

Possibly from the Vietnam War. From the notion that, given its critical function, if the nut were to fail, the only thing left to do would be to "pray to Jesus".

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Jesus nut. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Jesus%20nut

MLA

“Jesus nut.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Jesus%20nut. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Jesus nut,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Jesus%20nut.

Source: Jesus nut on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.