rudder

B2 Topic:Maritime & Sailing

US /ˈɹʌdɚ/ UK /ˈɹʌdə/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
a flat piece, usually at the stern of a ship or aircraft, used for steering

The pilot adjusted the rudder to change the plane's direction.
2

noun
a guiding principle or means of direction

His mentor acted as a rudder in his career decisions.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a flat piece, usually at... helm tiller wheelsteering gearcontrol surface

2 noun · a guiding principle or... guide compass anchor beacon

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

rudder blade
the flat vertical part of a rudder that turns a vessel

Noun + noun

Etymology

rudder (Modern English, 'device for steering a vessel'); from Proto-Germanic _rōþrą_ ('steering; rudder'), via Old English _rōþor_ ('rudder; steering gear') and Middle English _rother_ (12th c.).

Topics

Maritime & Sailing Aviation & Flight Transportation

External links

# rudder

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈɹʌdɚ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈɹʌdə/

## Meanings
1. a flat piece, usually at the stern of a ship or aircraft, used for steering
2. a guiding principle or means of direction

## Examples
- The pilot adjusted the rudder to change the plane's direction.
- His mentor acted as a rudder in his career decisions.

## Synonyms
- helm
- tiller
- wheel
- steering gear
- control surface
- guide
- compass
- anchor
- beacon

## Etymology
rudder (Modern English, 'device for steering a vessel'); from Proto-Germanic _rōþrą_ ('steering; rudder'), via Old English _rōþor_ ('rudder; steering gear') and Middle English _rother_ (12th c.).

## AI Etymology
Rudder is a Modern English word meaning 'device for steering a vessel', from Proto-Germanic rōþrą ('steering; rudder'), via Old English rōþor ('rudder; steering gear') and Middle English rother (12th c.). In current use it is a noun meaning "a flat piece, usually at the stern of a ship or aircraft, used for steering". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The history is mainly one of transmission into English, with the older form and sense carried through borrowing or adaptation. For dictionary purposes, the important point is the continuity between the older form, the route into English, and the present lexical sense.

## Topics
- Maritime & Sailing
- Aviation & Flight
- Transportation

markdown