zeppelin

/ˈzɛplɪn/

/ˈzɛplɪn/

Other forms: zeppelins

A zeppelin is a kind of airship that was used in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Zeppelins were flown by the German military during World War I.

While Germany found many military uses for zeppelins during the first World War, they were also used for commercial air travel by both Germany and the United States. Zeppelins were typically made from an aluminum-like metal, and shaped like a long cylinder. The zeppelin was named after the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, one of the airship's inventors.

Definitions of zeppelin

1. noun

   a large rigid dirigible designed to carry passengers or bombs
   synonyms: Graf Zeppelin

   example of:

   airship, dirigible

   a steerable self-propelled aircraft