Plural of afterbody; the rear or back portion of a ship's hull, or the tail sections of aircraft.
Compound of 'after' (referring to rear position) and 'bodies' (Old English bodig). The term is used in naval and aeronautical engineering to describe the streamlined rear portion of vessels and aircraft.
The shape of the afterbody is critical to fuel efficiency—a poorly designed afterbody creates drag and turbulence, which is why ships and planes spend millions optimizing their rear sections. The famous winglets on modern aircraft are really just a way to improve afterbody aerodynamics.
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