Plain English Meaning

A plane with one engine, where a jet-style turbine spins a propeller instead of pushing the plane along like a pure jet does.

Full Definition

An airplane powered by one turboprop engine — a turbine engine that drives a propeller through a reduction gearbox. The turbine produces shaft power, which spins the propeller to create thrust, while a small amount of residual jet thrust comes from the exhaust.

Context Anchor

Seen in airplane handling and approach discussions, especially when comparing how different types of airplanes behave during a power-off approach.

Derivation

Turboprop' combines 'turbine' (the spinning ) and 'propeller'. The name simply tells you how is made (turbine) and how it's used (propeller). '' means one of these is installed.