heli

Noun

helicopter (plural helicopters)

1. (aircraft) An aircraft that is borne along by one or more sets of long rotating blades which allow it to hover, move in any direction including reverse, or land; and typically having a smaller set of blades on its tail to stabilize the aircraft.
   • We flew over the city in a helicopter.

   Synonyms:

   chopper, copter, eggbeater, ghetto bird, heli, helo, huey, rotary-wing aircraft, whirlybird

2. A powered troweling machine with spinning blades used to spread concrete.
3. The winged fruit of certain trees, such as ash, elm, and maple.

   Synonyms:

   samara, whirlybird

4. (slang) A dragonfly; so named due to its resemblance to a helicopter (sense 1).
5. A whirling trick performed with devil sticks.

   Synonyms:

   power trowel, trowel machine

6. A breakdance move in which the dancer spins on the floor while extending the legs to resemble the blades of a helicopter.

See all 10 meanings of helicopter

Noun

helus (plural heli)

1. (rare) In scarabaeoid larvae, a coarse fixed spine located near the haptomerum.
   • The larvae of P. ferrieri exhibit remarkable features, including four protuberances on labrum, no helus on epipharynx, two scissorial teeth on each mandible, five stridulatory teeth plus a blunt protuberance on each maxilla, and the obtuse claws on the thoracic legs.2024, Larval morphology of a Palearctic Rutelini, Parastasia ferrieri (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae), with discussions on their feeding habits, page 185