A variant spelling of ballonet; a small auxiliary balloon within an airship.
From French 'ballonette' (small balloon), feminine variant of 'ballonet.' Used interchangeably with 'ballonet' in early aeronautical engineering.
The '-ette' ending marks this as a feminine or diminutive form in French—the same ending gives us 'kitchenette' and 'statuette,' meaning 'small version of.'
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