Wiktionary
n. 1 (&lit angle attack English) 2 (context aeronautics English) The angle between the chord line of an airfoil and the airflow over it; one of the determiners of the amount of lift produced by an airfoil. 3 (context nautical English) The angle between a mid-sail and the direction of the wind.
WordNet
n. the acute angle between the direction of the undisturbed relative wind and the chord of an airfoil
Wikipedia
In fluid dynamics, angle of attack (AOA, or α ( Greek letter alpha)) is the angle between a reference line on a body (often the chord line of an airfoil) and the vector representing the relative motion between the body and the fluid through which it is moving. Angle of attack is the angle between the body's reference line and the oncoming flow. This article focuses on the most common application, the angle of attack of a wing or airfoil moving through air.
In aerodynamics, angle of attack specifies the angle between the chord line of the wing of a fixed-wing aircraft and the vector representing the relative motion between the aircraft and the atmosphere. Since a wing can have twist, a chord line of the whole wing may not be definable, so an alternate reference line is simply defined. Often, the chord line of the root of the wing is chosen as the reference line. Another choice is to use a horizontal line on the fuselage as the reference line (and also as the longitudinal axis). Some authors do not use an arbitrary chord line, but use the zero lift axis, whereby zero angle of attack corresponds to zero coefficient of lift by definition.
Some British authors have used the term angle of incidence instead of angle of attack. However, this can lead to confusion with the term riggers' angle of incidence meaning the angle between the chord of an aerofoil and some fixed datum in the aeroplane.
Usage examples of "angle of attack".
The man's arms flailed about Wulfgar's head, but the angle of attack was all wrong, and the blows proved ineffectual.
At a sufficiently high angle of attack and low enough airspeed, the propwash gives you a little shake.
He was already flying at almost a zero-degree angle of attack, but was yawing a little to the right, and rolling off to the right as well.
First, he turned to minimize the angle of attack the missiles had on him and force them into a pure tail chase.
Both wings were fully swept back now, the automatic mechanism compensating for our angle of attack and speed.
But for the final run, it needed more precise data to achieve the proper angle of attack against a mobile, impeller wedge-protected target, which meant its seekers had to go active.
Long-Ears had chosen the proper angle of attack and the wind was right, carrying the horrible stink of predators and spilled blood to the quivering nostrils of every equine in the squadron.
If he represents what I fear most, then this is a completely different angle of attack than any I had anticipated.
With each accelerating stride, his focus grew crisper, more sublimely clear, his mind already assessing the problem with mathematical precision, showing him his angle of attack.
When throats are cut from the front, there are usually several small incisions because of the awkward angle of attack.
Baedecker noticed with a professional eye how the wings flexed with greater latitude than a Boeing product and noted with some surprise the steep angle of attack the Indian pilot chose.
As it continues to slow down, the tail falls more, giving a higher angle of attack to compensate for the lower speed.
The angle of attack and her injuries from the storm didn't allow for it.