fairing

fairing — noun

1. a shaped outer cover added to part of a vehicle or machine so air or water can p

1.nounC1
Definition

a shaped outer cover added to part of a vehicle or machine so air or water can pass it more smoothly.

Example

The mechanic replaced the cracked fairing on Nadia's scooter before the race.

replace the fairing on + vehicle part

A loose fairing under the small plane made a loud noise in flight.

fairing under + aircraft

Common collocations
  • replace a fairing
  • front fairing
  • nose fairing
  • bike fairing
Synonyms
  • cowling

    often used for the fitted cover around an engine or front section

  • shroud

    broader word for a cover and not always tied to reducing drag

  • panel

    general everyday word, less technical and less precise

Grammar Patterns

replace/remove + a fairing

front/nose/bike + fairing

Usage Note

Usually names an added outer panel on aircraft, motorcycles, bicycles, or boats. It refers to one shaped covering part, not to the whole body of the vehicle.

2. a small present that someone buys at a fair and takes home for another person.

2.nounC2
Definition

a small present that someone buys at a fair and takes home for another person.

Example

Caio bought his little sister a wooden whistle as a fairing from the spring fair.

buy a fairing from + fair

Grandmother kept the painted cup Christopher gave her as a fairing from York fair.

give someone a fairing from + fair

Common collocations
  • buy a fairing
  • fairing from the fair
  • bring home a fairing
Synonyms
  • souvenir

    stresses that it is brought back from a place or event

  • token

    suggests a small symbolic gift rather than a fair purchase

Grammar Patterns

buy + a fairing + at/from + a fair

bring + someone + a fairing

Usage Note

This is an old-fashioned word for a small present brought back from a fair. In modern everyday English, speakers would usually say gift or souvenir instead.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/4

A fairing is a shaped cover whose job is to smooth airflow or water flow around part of a machine. Cowling is close, but it is especially common for the fitted cover around an engine or front section of an aircraft or motorcycle. Shroud is broader and can mean any protective covering, even when drag is not the main point. Panel is the everyday general word for a flat or curved piece on the outside, but it does not automatically suggest a streamlined design. Compare: a cracked fairing under a plane, the engine cowling on a small aircraft, a plastic fan shroud, and a side panel on a scooter.

fairingcowlingshroudpanel

Etymology

English

This engineering noun grew out of the English verb fair, which can mean shaping parts so they fit smoothly together. In modern technical use, a fairing is the shaped covering added to a vehicle or machine to make the outside line smoother and reduce drag.