drogue

Plural: drogues

Noun

• A device, like a sea anchor, used to slow or stabilize.
• a funnel-shaped device towed as a target by an airplane
• a truncated cloth cone mounted on a mast; used (e.g., at airports) to show the direction of the wind
• restraint consisting of a canvas covered frame that floats behind a vessel; prevents drifting or maintains the heading into a wind
• a parachute used to decelerate an object that is moving rapidly
• A floating object attached to the end of a harpoon line to slow a whale down and prevent it from diving.
• A type of bag pulled behind a boat to stop it from broaching to.
• A conical parachute used as a brake for some kinds of aircraft, or as a means of extracting and deploying a larger parachute, or to slow a rapidly-moving vehicle to a speed where it can safely deploy a larger parachute.
• A conical basket or device used variously as a target for gunnery practice, and as a docking point for aerial refuelling.
• A wind cone.

Verb

• To harpoon or spear (a whale) with a weapon that has a drogue attached.
• To use a drogue with.
• To act as a drogue, slowing down and stabilizing a drifting object.
• To transport small loads along the coastline to larger ports, where they can be added to the cargo of larger ships that make longer journeys.

Examples

• My opponent seemed to deploy a mental drogue, slowing down the game with endless thought.

Synonyms

air sock, air-sleeve, drogue chute, drogue parachute, sea anchor, sock, wind cone, wind sleeve, wind sock, windsock, drag chute, drag parachute

Related Words

drag parachute