Am I the only one (probably) who believes it is wrong to say that something is “Aerodynamic”? Surely aerodynamics is a science, and the word can not really be used as an adjective. Oddly enough, although car manufacturers seem to want to allude to the “glamorous” aerospace industry when they call their cars aerodynamic, you never actually hear it used that way in relation to aircraft themselves; you hear people say things like “aerodynamically advanced” but no one ever just calls an aircraft “aerodynamic” (and yes, I already know I need to get out more, thank you)
By: Mr Creosote - 20th April 2006 at 20:28
Thanks, Moggy. I guess I’m just old-fashioned, but it just doesn’t sound right to me.
By: Moggy C - 18th April 2006 at 15:24
Sorry I was wrong.
Thanks to the excellent BBC series Balderdash and Piffle we have temporary online access to the OED.
They quite clearly state that ‘aerodynamic’ is an adjective, thus:
aerodynamic a.
[cf. G. aerodynamische (1835)], pertaining to aerodynamics [cf. DYNAMICS1], esp. to the effects produced on aircraft or other solid bodies by the air through which they pass, or the effects produced in air by the motion of solid bodies through it.
In quot. 1891, the art of flying through the air by some mechanism, the use of flying-machines, aviation.
1837 Pop. Encycl. I. 45 Aerodynamics; a branch of aerology, or the higher mechanics, which treats of the powers and motion of elastic fluids. 1868 CHAMBERS Encycl. I. 56 One of the most important inquiries in Aerodynamics is the resistance offered to a body moving in air, or{em}which is the same thing{em}the pressure exerted by air in motion upon a body at rest. 1891 S. P. LANGLEY (title) Experiments in Aerodynamics. 1908 W. H. STORY tr. Hildebrandt’s Airships ix. 90 Aerodynamic airships. 1920 Advis. Comm. Aeronautics, Rep. & Mem. No. 651, p. 5 Aerodynamic balance of the aileron. 1922 Edin. Rev. Oct. 214 The improvements in range and aerodynamic and engine efficiency of aircraft. 1923 GLAZEBROOK Dict. Appl. Physics V. 199/2 The Main Aerodynamic Balance..This balance was designed so that it could be used to measure forces about three axes perpendicular to one another and the moment about a vertical axis. 1935 Jrnl. R. Aeronaut. Soc. XXXIX. 826 With regard to the use of sponsons or stubs, he had understood Mr. Coombes to say that one could reckon on some aerodynamic lift from the stub. 1936 Aircraft Engin. Sept. 241/2 The idealized case is that of a monoplane in which the aerodynamic centres of the wing and tail plane lie in one straight line. 1949 Jrnl. R. Aeronaut. Soc. LIII. 659/2 It provided new incentives for understanding stability and control..aerodynamic heating..and similar general problems. 1950 Gloss. Aeronaut. Terms (B.S.I.) I. 28 Aerodynamic balance, a balance designed for measuring aerodynamic forces or moments. 1950 Sci. News XV. 83 Rockets are powerful research tools… Their value in aerodynamics lies in their ability to propel full-sized or model aircraft..at supersonic speeds in order that the unknown aerodynamic forces in play at these speeds can be measured. 1962 Gloss. Aeronaut. Terms (B.S.I.) 1 Aerodynamic centre, the point about which the rate of change of pitching moment with incidence is zero. Ibid. 5 Aerodynamic balance, the degree to which the hinge moment of a control surface is reduced by balancing.
By: Moggy C - 18th April 2006 at 15:18
Am I the only one (probably) who believes it is wrong to say that something is “Aerodynamic”?
Being totally pedantic you are correct. However through usage it looks as if ‘aerodynamically efficient’ has become shortened to ‘aerodynamic’
Moggy
By: barrythemod - 16th April 2006 at 22:22
My dictionary states,,,,,aerodynamics pl. n. (with sing. v.) study of air flow,esp. around moving solid bodies.
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April 16, 2006 at 9:55 pm