Definition
An airplane powered by three jet engines, typically configured with one engine on each wing or rear fuselage and a third engine mounted in the tail.
Plain English
An aircraft with three jet engines instead of the more common two or four.
Context Anchor
Seen when describing or identifying aircraft by engine layout, especially larger transport airplanes.
Derivation
From the prefix 'tri-' (Latin, meaning three) combined with 'jet.' The name simply describes the engine count, helping distinguish these aircraft from twinjets (two engines) and quadjets (four).
Why Pilots Care
The number and placement of engines affect aircraft handling, performance planning, and emergency procedures.
Intuition Check
Do not read trijet as just any aircraft with three engines. It specifically means a jet-powered airplane with three jet engines.
Example Sentence 1
The Boeing 727 was a popular trijet used widely on domestic routes during the 1970s and 1980s.
Example Sentence 2
Maintenance crews inspected the center engine on the trijet before the next flight.