Meanings
nounnacelle (plural nacelles)
plural nacelles
- aeronauticsThe compartment that holds passengers on a dirigible, hot-air balloon, or other aerostat; a gondola.
- archaicaeronauticsThe cockpit of an aircraft.
- broadlybusinessThe part between the rotor and tower of a wind turbine.
- broadlyroadA streamlined enclosure on the body or dashboard of a motor vehicle.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*néh₂us“a boat”
- Latinnāvis“a ship”
- Late Latinnaucella
- Old Frenchnacele
- Middle Frenchnacelle“rowing boat, skiff”
- Frenchnacelle“rowing boat, skiff; gondola (of a hot-air balloon, etc.); structure on an aircraft to house an engine”
- Englishnacelle
PIE word *néh₂us Borrowed from French nacelle (“rowing boat, skiff; gondola (of a hot-air balloon, etc.); structure on an aircraft to house an engine”), Middle French nacelle (“rowing boat, skiff”), from Old French nacele, from Late Latin naucella, nāvicella (“small boat or ship”), from Latin nāvis (“a ship”) (from Proto-Indo-European *néh₂us (“a boat”)) + -ella (diminutive suffix). Cognates * Anglo-Norman naucele, naucle (“small boat”) * Late Latin nacella (“small boat”)
More words from French, Middle French, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic باسنة
- باسنةseparate streamlined enclosure mounted on an aircraft to house an engine, cargo, or crew
Catalan naveta, naveta
- navetaseparate streamlined enclosure mounted on an aircraft to house an engine, cargo, or crew
- navetapart between the rotor and tower of a wind turbine
Dutch nacelle
- nacelleseparate streamlined enclosure mounted on an aircraft to house an engine, cargo, or crew
Esperanto nacelo
- naceloseparate streamlined enclosure mounted on an aircraft to house an engine, cargo, or crew
Estonian gondel
- gondelseparate streamlined enclosure mounted on an aircraft to house an engine, cargo, or crew
Finnish naselli, kotelo
- naselliseparate streamlined enclosure mounted on an aircraft to house an engine, cargo, or crew
- koteloseparate streamlined enclosure mounted on an aircraft to house an engine, cargo, or crew
- laivahollow boat-shaped structure
- koteloenclosure housing machinery or a motor
- roottorikotelopart between the rotor and tower of a wind turbine
- nasellisubmersed providers of buoyancy of a SWATH-hulled boat
- kojelaudan kotelostreamlined enclosure on the body or dashboard of a motor vehicle
French nacelle
- nacelleseparate streamlined enclosure mounted on an aircraft to house an engine, cargo, or crew
German Korb, Gondel
- Korbseparate streamlined enclosure mounted on an aircraft to house an engine, cargo, or crew
- Gondelpart between the rotor and tower of a wind turbine
Indonesian nasel
- naselseparate streamlined enclosure mounted on an aircraft to house an engine, cargo, or crew
Italian gondola
- gondolaseparate streamlined enclosure mounted on an aircraft to house an engine, cargo, or crew
Japanese ナセル
- ナセル (naseru)separate streamlined enclosure mounted on an aircraft to house an engine, cargo, or crew
Korean 나셀
- 나셀 (nasel)separate streamlined enclosure mounted on an aircraft to house an engine, cargo, or crew
Norwegian Bokmål nacelle
- nacelleseparate streamlined enclosure mounted on an aircraft to house an engine, cargo, or crew
Polish gondola
- gondolaseparate streamlined enclosure mounted on an aircraft to house an engine, cargo, or crew
Portuguese nacelle, nacele
- nacelleseparate streamlined enclosure mounted on an aircraft to house an engine, cargo, or crew
- nacelepart between the rotor and tower of a wind turbine
Romanian nacelă
- nacelăseparate streamlined enclosure mounted on an aircraft to house an engine, cargo, or crew
Russian гондола, мотогондола
- гондола (gondola)separate streamlined enclosure mounted on an aircraft to house an engine, cargo, or crew
- мотогондола (motogondola)separate streamlined enclosure mounted on an aircraft to house an engine, cargo, or crew
Spanish góndola, góndola
- góndolaseparate streamlined enclosure mounted on an aircraft to house an engine, cargo, or crew
- góndolapart between the rotor and tower of a wind turbine
Swedish gondol
- gondolseparate streamlined enclosure mounted on an aircraft to house an engine, cargo, or crew
Turkish nacel
- nacelseparate streamlined enclosure mounted on an aircraft to house an engine, cargo, or crew
Ukrainian гондола
- гондола (hondola)separate streamlined enclosure mounted on an aircraft to house an engine, cargo, or crew
Welsh nasél
- nasélseparate streamlined enclosure mounted on an aircraft to house an engine, cargo, or crew
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with nacelle
wellhotellsellcelltelleldelpersonneldellNFLshellfellexcelMichellegeldlmotelspellsmellrebelbellemelmichel
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
nacelle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nacelle
MLA
“nacelle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nacelle. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nacelle,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nacelle.
Source: nacelle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.