Definition
A structural wood material made by bonding two or more thin layers (plies) of wood together with adhesive, with the grain of all layers running in the same direction. Used in aircraft structures such as wing spars and propellers where high strength along the grain is required.
Plain English
Several thin sheets of wood glued together in a stack, with the wood grain in every sheet pointing the same way, creating a single thicker piece that is stronger and more reliable than one solid piece of wood.
Context Anchor
Seen in aircraft wood structure repair, especially when discussing spars, ribs, curved parts, and other wooden airframe pieces.
Derivation
From Latin lamina meaning 'thin plate' or 'layer.' The term simply describes a material built up from layers — useful here because it signals that the strength comes from the bonded layers, not from a single solid piece.
Why Pilots Care
Used in propellers and certain airframe parts where its layered strength helps resist cracking and maintains balance under flight loads.
Intuition Check
Laminated wood does not mean wood covered with a plastic surface. Here it means wood built up from glued layers to make an aircraft part.
Example Sentence 1
The wing spar was built from laminated wood to provide consistent strength along its length.
Example Sentence 2
Many vintage aircraft still fly with laminated wood spars that were carefully built up from multiple plies.