Nacelle

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The word nacelle is derived from the Old French nacele, which means a small boat or dinghy, and was in turn derived from the Latin navicella. The term is commonly used in the worlds of aviation, nautical and spacecraft design, in order to refer to a covered housing, separate from the fuselage, which usually holds engines, fuel, or equipment. In some cases—most notably the WW2-era P-38 Lightning airplane—the cockpit may also be housed in a nacelle. The covering is typically shaped in an aerodynamic manner.

In a jet engine the nacelle is the covering and is composed of the engine inlet, fan cowl, thrust reverser, and the exhaust nozzle.

In the world of ballooning, including that of airships, the nacelle is a suspended basket which contains machinery and passengers. This is the original French use of the term. In English, "gondola" has replaced its use.

On a wind turbine, the nacelle often refers to the structure on top of the tower which houses all of the generating components.

The word "nacelle" (along with many other terms of naval origin) is also used in science fiction, such as the Star Trek series, to describe various parts of fictional starships. See warp drive.

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