parachute
Meanings
noun
- A device, generally constructed from fabric, that is designed to employ air resistance to control the fall of an object or person, causing them to float instead of falling.
- A web or fold of skin extending between the legs of gliding mammals, such as the flying squirrel and colugo.
- Any of various mushrooms with broad, domed caps.
- A small collar which fastens around the scrotum and from which weights can be hung.
- A large sheet of fabric used in children's physical education, often colorful, with handles allowing many people to control its motion.
verb
- To jump, fall, descend, etc. using such a device.
- To introduce into a place using such a device.
- To place (somebody) in an organisation in a position of authority without their having previous experience there; used with in or into.
- To wrap illicit drugs in a covering before swallowing them, so that they will be released for absorption when the covering dissolves within the body.
name
- A town in Garfield County, Colorado, United States, named after Parachute Creek; it was renamed Grand Valley in 1908, regaining its original name in the 1980s.
Pronunciation
Word forms
Etymology
Borrowed from French parachute, from para- (“protection against”) (as in parasol) and chute (“fall”).
Synonyms
Related words
Derived words
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.