An airship whose shape is maintained solely by an internal and/or external rigid structural framework, without using internal gas pressure to stiffen the vehicle (the lifting gas is at atmospheric pressure); typically also equipped with multiple redundant gasbags, unlike other types of airship.
"The German Zeppelin was a true rigid airship because its distinctive cigar shape relied entirely on an aluminum framework rather than internal gas pressure to maintain form."
In plain English: A rigid person is someone who refuses to change their mind or adapt to new situations.
"The rigid was too stiff to bend, so he had to use his hands to adjust its position."
incapable of adapting or changing to meet circumstances
"a rigid disciplinarian"
"an inflexible law"
"an unbending will to dominate"
designating an airship or dirigible having a form maintained by a stiff unyielding frame or structure
"The rigid airship relied on its internal steel framework to maintain its shape against the wind."
Stiff, rather than flexible.
"The old wooden fence became rigid after the frost hit overnight."
In plain English: Rigid means stiff and unable to bend easily.
"The old wooden door was so rigid that I could not push it open easily."
Usage: Use rigid to describe something that lacks flexibility or bends easily under stress, such as a material or set of rules. Avoid confusing it with "stern" when referring to strictness in behavior, which implies severity rather than physical inflexibility.
The word "rigid" comes from the Latin rīgidus, meaning "stiff," which was borrowed into Middle English as rigide. Its root verb rigeō means "I am stiff."