Added 9 October 2026
rigid
/ˈɹɪd͡ʒ.ɪd/ adjective
In Latin: rigidus, rigens Wiktionary
adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about rigid at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
noun
-
An airship whose shape is maintained solely by an internal and/or external rigid structural framework, without using internal gas pressure to stiffen the vehicle (the lifting gas is at atmospheric pressure); typically also equipped with multiple redundant gasbags, unlike other types of airship.
The rigid could reach the greatest sizes and speeds of any airship, but was expensive to build and bulky to store. Rigids fell out of favor after the R101 and Hindenburg disasters made the type seem unsafe to the travelling public.
- A bicycle with no suspension system.
Origin
From Middle English rigide, from Latin rigidus (“stiff”), from rigeō (“to be stiff”). Compare rigor. Merged with Middle English rigged, rygged, rugged (“upright like a spine, rigid”, literally “ridged”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)