wind
/ˈwɪnd/ noun, verb, proper noun
Forms winds winding winded wound winde
- noun (countable, uncountable) Real or perceived movement of atmospheric air usually caused by convection or differences in air pressure. “The wind blew through her hair as she stood on the deck of the ship.”
- noun Air artificially put in motion by any force or action. “the wind of a cannon ball”
- noun (countable, uncountable) The ability to breathe easily. “After the second lap he was already out of wind.”
- noun (figurative) News of an event, especially by hearsay or gossip. “to catch wind of something”
- noun (figurative) A tendency or trend. “the wind of change”
- noun (philosophy, alchemy) One of the four elements of the ancient Greeks and Romans; air.
- noun One of the five basic elements in Indian and Japanese models of the Classical elements.
- noun (uncountable, colloquial) Flatus. “to pass wind”
- verb (transitive) To blow air through a wind instrument or horn to make a sound.
- verb (transitive) To cause (someone) to become breathless, as by a blow to the abdomen, or by physical exertion, running, etc. “The boxer was winded during round two.”
- verb (transitive, UK) To cause a baby to bring up wind by patting its back after being fed.
- verb (transitive, UK) To turn a boat or ship around, so that the wind strikes it on the opposite side.
- verb (transitive) To expose to the wind; to winnow; to ventilate.
- verb (transitive) To perceive or follow by scent. “The hounds winded the game.”
- verb (transitive) To rest (a horse, etc.) in order to allow the breath to be recovered; to breathe.
- verb (transitive) To turn a windmill so that its sails face into the wind.
- verb (transitive) To turn coils (of a cord or something similar) around something. “to wind thread on a spool or into a ball”
- verb (transitive) To tighten the spring of a clockwork mechanism. “Please wind that old-fashioned alarm clock.”
- verb (transitive) To entwist; to enfold; to encircle.
- verb (intransitive) To travel or follow a path with numerous curves. “Vines wind round a pole. The river winds through the plain.”
Synonyms
breeze gas draft gale twine air current current of air malarkey malarky idle words jazz nothingness tip lead steer confidential information hint wind instrument fart farting flatus breaking wind winding twist weave thread meander wander curve wrap
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English wynd, wind, from Old English wind (“wind”), from Proto-West Germanic *wind, from Proto-Germanic *windaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂wéh₁n̥tos (“wind”), from earlier *h₂wéh₁n̥ts (“wind”), derived from the present participle of *h₂weh₁- (“to blow”).
Cognate with Yola weend, wyeene (“wind”), North Frisian win, winj (“wind”), Saterland Frisian Wíend (“wind”), West Frisian wyn (“wind”), Alemannic German wend, wind, winn, wénn (“wind”), Bavarian bint, Wind (“wind”), Cimbrian and Mòcheno bint (“wind”), Dutch wind (“wind”), German and German Low German Wind (“wind”), Luxembourgish Wand (“wind”), Yiddish ווינט (vint, “wind”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish vind (“wind”), Faroese and Icelandic vindur (“wind”), Gothic 𐍅𐌹𐌽𐌳𐍃 (winds, “wind”), Latin ventus (“wind”), Welsh gwynt (“wind”), Sanskrit वात (vā́ta, “wind”), Russian ве́тер (véter, “wind”), perhaps Albanian bundë (“strong damp wind”). Doublet of athlete, vent, weather and nirvana.
From Middle English wynden, from Old English windan, from Proto-Germanic *windaną. Compare West Frisian wine, Low German winden, Dutch winden, German winden, Danish vinde, Walloon windea. See also the related term wend.
* As an English surname, from wind (both senses). This surname also appears in Dutch, Danish, Swedish, and German with the same senses, such as Wint. Compare De Wind.
* Also as a German surname, variant of Wendt.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To turn completely, or with repeated turns; especially, to turn about something fixed; to cause to form convolutions about anything; to coil; to twine; to twist; to wreathe; as, to wind thread on a spool or into a ball.
- verb To entwist; to infold; to encircle.
- verb To turn completely or repeatedly; to become coiled about anything; to assume a convolved or spiral form; as, vines wind round a pole.
- verb To have a circular course or direction; to crook; to bend; to meander; as, to wind in and out among trees.
Etymology [OE. winden, AS. windan; akin to OS. windan, D. & G. winden, OHG. wintan, Icel. & Sw. vinda, Dan. vinde, Goth. windan (in comp.). Cf. Wander, Wend.]
Etymology [AS. wind; akin to OS., OFries., D., & G. wind, OHG. wint, Dan. & Sw. vind, Icel. vindr, Goth winds, W. gwynt, L. ventus, Skr. vata (cf. Gr. 'ah`ths a blast, gale, 'ah^nai to breathe hard, to blow, as the wind); originally a p. pr. from the verb seen in Skr. va to blow, akin to AS. wawan, D. waaijen, G. wehen, OHG. waen, wajen, Goth. waian. sq. root131. Cf. Air, Ventail, Ventilate, Window, Winnow.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “wind”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details