Plain English Meaning

The inside walls of a narrow section in the engine's air intake. Air speeds up as it squeezes through this narrow part, which cools the air and can cause ice to form on those walls.

Full Definition

The internal surfaces of a constricted passage in an aircraft's induction or carburetor system where airflow accelerates and pressure drops. In the context of induction icing, these are the surfaces on which moisture can condense and freeze, restricting or blocking airflow to the engine.

Context Anchor

Seen in discussions of carburetor ice and induction icing, especially where airflow narrows, speeds up, and cools before entering the engine.

Derivation

Named after Giovanni Battista Venturi, an 18th-century Italian physicist who studied how fluids behave when forced through a constricted tube. A 'venturi' is the narrowed section itself; the 'walls' are simply its inner surfaces. Knowing the name comes from the physicist (not a technical Latin ) helps pilots recognise the term wherever a narrowed flow passage appears in .