Zap flap

noun

A kind of flap whose leading edge is mounted on a track, while a point at mid-chord on the flap is connected via an arm to a pivot just above the track. When the flap's leading edge moves aft along the track, the triangle formed by the track, the shaft and the surface of the flap (fixed at the pivot) gets narrower and deeper, forcing the flap down.

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Meanings

nounZap flap (plural Zap flaps)

plural Zap flaps

  1. aeronauticsA kind of flap whose leading edge is mounted on a track, while a point at mid-chord on the flap is connected via an arm to a pivot just above the track. When the flap's leading edge moves aft along the track, the triangle formed by the track, the shaft and the surface of the flap (fixed at the pivot) gets narrower and deeper, forcing the flap down.

Origin

Named after its inventor, Edward F. Zaparka.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Zap flap. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Zap%20flap

MLA

“Zap flap.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Zap%20flap. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Zap flap,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Zap%20flap.

Source: Zap flap on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.