/af"teuhr bod'ee, ahf"-/ , n. , pl. afterbodies .
1. Naut. the portion of a ship's hull aft of the middle body.
2. Aeron. the rear part of an aircraft's fuselage.
3. Rocketry. the part of a guided missile behind the nose cone, usually unprotected against reentry heat.
[ AFTER + BODY ]