Plain English Meaning

The wings are angled slightly upward, like a shallow V. This shape helps the airplane right itself if a gust tips it sideways.

Full Definition

The upward angle of an airplane's wings when viewed from the front, where the wingtips sit higher than the wing roots. Dihedral contributes to lateral stability by causing the airplane to roll back toward level flight after a disturbance such as a gust.

Context Anchor

Seen in discussions of airplane stability, handling, and how the airplane responds after it is disturbed from level flight.

Derivation

From Greek 'di-' (two) and 'hedra' (seat or surface), meaning two surfaces meeting at an angle. In aviation, the two surfaces are the and right wings meeting at the with an upward slope.