non-rigidadj.n.
/nɒnˈrɪdʒɪd/, U.S. /nɑnˈrɪdʒɪd/ A. adj.
Of a structure, material, etc.: not rigid; spec. (of an airship) having no framework to support the envelope, and therefore having a shape which is maintained solely by the pressure of the gas inside.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > air or space travel > a means of conveyance through the air > balloons and airships > [adjective] > types of airship
non-rigid1874
rigid1901
semi-rigid1908
1874 J. B. Pettigrew Animal Locomotion 223 The wing consists of two portions—a rigid anterior portion, and a non-rigid flexible portion.
1909 A. Berget Conquest of Air i. v. 108 These airships are non-rigid.
1930 Daily Express 6 Oct. 2/4 He..was captain of non-rigid airships in home waters and the East Mediterranean.
1961 B.S.I. News Dec. 20/2 Rigid plastics; semi-rigid plastics; non-rigid plastics.
1995 School Sci. Rev. June 47/1 The block of iron is a prototypical example of ‘solid’ in everyday reasoning; non-rigid objects such as cloth and paper are not.
B. n.
A non-rigid airship. Now historical.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > air or space travel > a means of conveyance through the air > balloons and airships > [noun] > airship > types of airship
aeroplane1884
non-rigid1909
Parseval1909
rigid1911
blimp1916
submarine scout1917
semi-rigid1920
1909 Daily Chron. 3 Aug. 1/7 The two non-rigids that are to come from France.
1927 Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 13 259 In non-rigids, where the stiffening element provided by transverse frames is absent, the effects are probably much greater than in rigid airships.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.n.1874