wide-bodied
Meaning
Having a broad fuselage, especially designating a class of large commercial aircraft.
Having a broad or wide body or torso.
Structure
Usage
The airline is modernizing its fleet with new wide-bodied jets.
He was a tall, wide-bodied man who filled the doorway.
The wide-bodied design allows for more passenger comfort and cargo capacity.
Etymology
The compound adjective "wide-bodied" is a transparent modern English formation. Its first element, "wide," descends from the Proto-Germanic wīdaz, conveying the sense of vastness. The second, "body," originates from the Old English bodig, referring to the physical frame. The suffix "-ed" is added to the noun "body" to create an adjectival form, a productive pattern in English. Initially used literally for living creatures, its most prominent modern application is in aviation, where it technically describes aircraft with a fuselage wide enough to accommodate two passenger aisles, a meaning that emerged with the development of jets like the Boeing 747 in the late 1960s.
Analysis
- wide: From Old English wīd (spacious, extensive). An adjective describing a large extent from side to side. - body: From Old English bodig (trunk, chest, torso). A noun referring to the main physical structure of a person, animal, or object. - ed: A suffix forming adjectives from nouns, meaning "having, provided with, characterized by" (e.g., talented, winged).