I. ˈwin(d)-ˌmil noun
Date: 14th century
1.
a. : a mill or machine operated by the wind usually acting on oblique vanes or sails that radiate from a horizontal shaft ; especially : a wind-driven water pump or electric generator
b. : the wind-driven wheel of a windmill
2. : something that resembles or suggests a windmill ; especially : a calisthenic exercise that involves alternately lowering each outstretched hand to touch the toes of the opposite foot
3.
[from the episode in Don Quixote by Cervantes in which the hero attacks windmills under the illusion that they are giants]
: an imaginary wrong, evil, or opponent — usually used in the phrase to tilt at windmills
[
windmill 1a
]
II. verb
Date: 1914
transitive verb
: to cause to move like a windmill
intransitive verb
: to move like a windmill ; especially : to spin from the force of wind