Plain English Meaning

A wing that is wider where it meets the fuselage and gets narrower toward the tip. The shape gradually shrinks from root to tip rather than staying the same width all the way out.

Full Definition

A wing planform in which the chord (the distance from leading edge to trailing edge) decreases from the wing root to the wing tip. A tapered wing is narrower at the tip than where it joins the fuselage, and this shape influences how lift is distributed along the span and how the wing behaves as it approaches a stall.

Context Anchor

Seen in stall discussions when comparing how different wing shapes behave near a stall.

Derivation

From the Old English 'taper,' meaning a slender candle that grows thinner toward the top. The use carries the same idea: something that narrows progressively along its length.