I. ˈwind, chiefly poetic ˈwīnd noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English wind, winde, from Old English wind; akin to Old High German wint wind, Old Norse vindr, Gothic winds, Latin ventus; all from a prehistoric Indo-European participial stem from the root represented by Old English wāwan to blow, Old High German wāen, Gothic waian, Greek aēnai, Sanskrit vāti it blows, vāta wind
1.
a. : a natural movement of air of any velocity ; especially : air in natural motion parallel to the surface of the earth
a light wind had come up
the winds devastated the city
— compare current
b. : an artificially produced movement of air
felt the wind of a bullet as it passed his temple — C.B.Kelland
2.
a. : a destructive force or influence
the wind of war had swept his home away — Stuart Cloete
sow the wind and reap the whirlwind
b. : a force or agency that carries along or influences
withstood the winds of popular opinion — Felix Frankfurter
the bracing winds of human sympathy and understanding — J.D.Adams
c. : tendency , trend
quick perception of the way campus winds were blowing — Arnold Nicholson
too much impressed by current theological winds — I.G.Whitchurch
3.
a.
(1) : the air that is inhaled and exhaled by the lungs : breath
leaned there on the cable, catching his wind — Wright Morris
smote him with brutal violence in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him — Dorothy Sayers
(2) : power of respiration : ability to breathe properly
established his own studio for the businessman anxious about his weight and his wind — D.G.Villard
wind and leg muscles — Athletic Journal
(3) : the pit of the stomach where a blow may paralyze the diaphragm and cause temporary loss of breath : solar plexus
hit a small boy in the wind to see him double up — W.B.Yeats
b. : breath used in speaking
wrote … in sonorous and rolling sentences in which one can still hear the wind of his oratory — Marjory S. Douglas
4. : gas generated in the stomach or the intestines
5.
a. : compressed air or gas
was considered a little balmy when he seriously proposed stopping a train with wind — W.J.Reilly
b. archaic : air
the sword itself must be wrapped up close … that it taketh no wind — Francis Bacon
6. : something that is insubstantial: as
a. : mere talk : idle words
talks about erasing the border by a march on the North. This is mere wind . There will be no march — J.V.Kelleher
b. : nothing , nothingness
theories based on wind
c. : vain self-satisfaction
all puffed up with wind
7.
a. : air carrying a scent (as of a hunter or game)
a great number of deer … entirely ignorant of anything amiss till after they passed me and received my wind — Ed Shearer
b. archaic : exposure to the public : currency — used with get or take
the project had taken wind and created a general sensation — W.H.Prescott
c. : slight information especially about something intended to be kept secret : intimation
the unhappy reporters who by this time had got wind of something and turned up in battalions — Dorothy Sayers
caught wind of this situation — Richard Hellman
8.
a. : air used for producing musical tone: as
(1) : breath passed through the vocal organs in singing
(2) : breath used to blow a wind instrument
(3) : the compressed air used to produce sound on an organ
b.
(1) : musical wind instruments especially as distinguished from strings and percussion
music for strings and for wind — D.W.Stevens
the triplets played by the winds — Max Rudolf
a good deal of wind detail is lost — Edward Sackville-West & Desmond Shawe-Taylor
(2) winds plural : the players of wind instruments especially in an orchestra
9.
a. : a direction from which the wind may blow : a point of the compass ; especially : one of the cardinal points
come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain — Ezek 37:9 (Revised Standard Version)
b. : the direction from which the wind is blowing — used especially with regard to a sailing ship's course
10. : a condition of oblivion, ineffectualness, or waste — usually used in plural
cast the facts of royal history to the winds and invented his own essential drama — Leslie Rees
went through deep snow, all anxiety thrown to the four winds — D.B.MacMillan
11. : money
came to me this morning to raise the wind — Anthony Trollope
12. : a state of intoxication
I'm not in the wind at all events, for you see I'm perfectly sober — Frederick Marryat
— compare sheet in the wind
13. : a big fuss : disturbance
raised the wind over the inferior merchandise
14.
a. : a state of fear — used with up
deathtraps, hard to fly, easy to crash … good pilots had their wind up about the planes — H.H.Arnold & I.C.Eaker
you put the wind up me — Richard Llewellyn
b. : a state of nervous irritable excitement — used with up
got their wind up about the neighbors' new fence
Synonyms:
breeze , gale , hurricane , gust , blast , squall , zephyr , whirlwind , cyclone , typhoon , tornado , waterspout , twister : wind is a general term applicable to air in any sort of natural motion
light western winds
winds of gale force
breeze is applicable to a relatively light but fresh wind with moderate velocity, often to a pleasing wind
not a steady, strong breeze like the trade winds of the low latitudes, but a boisterous stormy wind — P.E.James
enjoying the brisk breeze that blew about his yellow hair — William Black
gale indicates a high wind, one between a breeze and a hurricane, sometimes of destructive force
not an inch of shelter anywhere in a gale, and the salt rain driven by the wind penetrates the thickest coat — Richard Jefferies
hurricane indicates a wind of maximum velocity and consequent destructive violence
towns and villages wrecked by the hurricane
gust indicates a sudden short wind, usually more severe than a puff, often accompanied by rain
a great gust of wind shook the windows of the house — J.C.Powys
blast may indicate a sudden wind with severe driving force
a copse of dark firs swayed uneasily under the heavy blasts of the gathering storm — F.V.W.Mason
squall refers to any sudden violent gust, especially to a sea gust with driving force
continuous and violent squalls nearly wrecked the craft — Alexander Klemin
zephyr indicates a light gentle delicate wind, one that would not disturb halcyon weather
soft the zephyr blows — Thomas Gray
whirlwind may apply to any swirling wind; technically it indicates a rotating windstorm with the lower air spiraling inward and upward
the whirlwind came fast. I could see the tops of the trees writhing and twisting — John Onslow
cyclone often indicates a rotating system of very high destructive winds about a moving center of low pressure
cyclones like those that lift roofs off houses in Kansas — Waldemar Kaempffert
typhoon is used in reference to cyclones in Asian Pacific waters
typhoons in Joseph Conrad's novels
tornado refers to a swirling wind accompanied by a funnel-shaped cloud moving with a force so violent that it cannot be measured accurately
Kansas takes to the cyclone cellar when a tornado sweeps by and sucks wells dry — Waldemar Kaempffert
waterspout indicates a funnel-shaped or tubular column of wind enclosing a quantity of water. twister is a general informal term for any swirling wind like a tornado or waterspout
the first twisters hit in the early evening — Time
when a twister had come at home, all the windows in Mr. Dannenbaum's house had been blown out — Jean Stafford
•
- between wind and water
- by the wind
- down the wind
- have in the wind
- have the wind of
- in the wind
- near the wind
- off the wind
- under the wind
II. ˈwind verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English winden, from wind (I)
transitive verb
1. : to smell the scent of : follow by the scent
an otter could wind a fish at 40 furlongs — C.E.Hare
2. : to expose to the air or wind : dry by exposing to air
3. dialect chiefly Britain : winnow
4. : to take the breath away from : make short of breath
her hoof hit my side and winded me — Adrian Bell
until acclimated, a person becomes winded from exertion — Bob Koonce
5. : to regulate the wind supply of (an organ pipe)
6. : to rest (as a horse) in order to allow the breath to be recovered
intransitive verb
1. : to scent game : sniff in the air as if catching the scent of game — used of an animal and especially of a dog
2. dialect : to pause for breath
III. ˈwīnd, ˈwind verb
( winded -də̇d ; or wound ˈwau̇nd ; winded or wound ; winding ; winds )
Etymology: wind (I) (but often altered in pronunciation & conjugation by influence of wind ) (IV)
transitive verb
1. : to cause (as a horn) to sound by blowing especially with the breath : blow
little fishing boats wind their conchs — Mary H. Vorse
2. : to sound (as a call or note) on or as if on a horn
wound a rousing call — R.L.Stevenson
intransitive verb
: to produce a sound on or as if on a horn
IV. ˈwīnd verb
( wound ˈwau̇nd ; also winded ; wound also winded ; winding ; winds )
Etymology: Middle English winden, from Old English windan to turn, twist, move with speed or force, brandish; akin to Old High German wintan to wind, Old Norse vinda, Gothic bi windan to wind around, wrap, us windan to plait, Umbrian oha vendu let him turn aside, Armenian gind ring; basic meaning: twist
intransitive verb
1. obsolete
a.
(1) : to move with speed or force : rush , spring
(2) : pass
b. : go , proceed
wind away, be gone I say — Shakespeare
2. archaic : wriggle , squirm , writhe
3. : to bend out of a flat plane : warp
4.
a. obsolete : to move in a curve
a creature that I teach to fight, to wind , to stop, to run directly on — Shakespeare
b. : to have a curving course or shape : extend in curves
a small road that wound up through pines — G.W.Brace
the staircase wound round this hall — Margaret Deland
a cave which winds far into the cliff — A.A.Grace
c. : to move on a curving especially sinuous course
the river winds down through rugged terrain
a long caravan of cars wound through the streets — Phoenix Flame
within the lines of these universal qualities wind the divergencies of medieval thought — H.O.Taylor
5.
a. : to move so as to encircle
loose tapes which wind around the baby's limbs — Morris Fishbein
b. : to exhibit the defective gait of winding
6.
a. : to change the direction toward which the prow is headed : turn when lying at anchor
b. : to lie with the prow headed toward a designated point of the compass
7. of a horse : to turn or veer to the left : haw
transitive verb
1.
a. obsolete : to make by or as if by twisting, plaiting, or weaving : weave
b. : to bring into a close relationship as if by weaving or wrapping : entangle , involve , enmesh
the greatest crises of life steal on us imperceptibly and have sometimes … wound us in their consequences before we know — William Black
— often used with up
compassion … is intricately wound up with the doctrine of right living — Edmond Taylor
c. : to introduce sinuously or stealthily : insinuate
the impulse to know … winds itself into every action — H.O.Taylor
d. obsolete : to put (as money) into circulation : circulate
2. archaic : to hold in the hand and use : wield , handle
3.
a. : to encircle or cover with something pliable : bind with or as if with loops of string or layers of cloth
wound the top with a new piece of string
the women were wound up in fishtailed skirts — G.H.Reed b. 1887
sleep thou, and I will wind thee in my arms — Shakespeare
b.
(1) : to turn completely or repeatedly especially about an object with which contact is made : coil , twine , wrap
wound a heavy scarf around his neck
devised a way of winding silk on a spool — American Guide Series: New Jersey
(2) : to remove by unwinding : unwind — used with off or from
wound all the thread off the bobbin
c.
(1) : to hoist or haul (as coal from a pit) by means of a rope, cable, or chain that is pulled by machinery — often used with up
wind up a bucket from a well — Adrian Bell
(2) : to move (a ship) by hauling (as on a capstan)
d.
(1) : to tighten the spring of in order to start or keep running
four hours of moderate light wind the clock completely — Jewelers' Circular-Keystone
— often used with up
wound up the toy soldiers
(2) obsolete : to make tighter (as the strings of a musical instrument) : tighten , tune — often used with up
(3) : to move with a crank : crank
wound down the window on the right hand side of the car — J.M.Cain
e. : to raise to a high level (as of excitement, tension, or preparedness) — usually used with up
get so easily wound up … about these things that we could go on and on — W.F.Hambly
4.
a. : to cause to move in a curving line : cause to follow a curving course or path
processions … wound themselves about the town in circles — Julian Dana
b.
(1) archaic : to turn the course or direction of ; especially : to turn or lead (a person) as one wishes
can wind the proud earl to his will — Sir Walter Scott
(2) obsolete : attract , lure , entice
c.
(1) : to cause (as a ship) to change direction : turn
(2) : to turn (as a ship) end for end
d. : to traverse on a curving course
winds the wood — John Dryden
e.
(1) : to effect by or as if by curving
wound his way up the tree — Willa Cather
the forest through which the river winds its course — Alexander MacDonald
(2) : to follow the curving course of
enabled travelers to reach the Mississippi without winding the endless curves of the Arkansas — American Guide Series: Arkansas
f. : to turn (a horse) to the left
Synonyms:
twist , twine , entwine , coil , curl , wreathe agree with wind in referring either to a circular, spiral, or writhing motion or to a curved and bent outline or shape; wind especially emphasizes action or motion, originally an even-paced, repeated turning about a fixed point, now frequently a rambling or climbing in serpentine curves over an extended area
wind thread or tape on a reel
the road winds along the river
twist orig. and basically is to turn two threads about each other; it retains the suggestion of revolving within a narrow compass or of an outline having many small kinks rather than describing large loops or curves
the train wound around the mountain
the dancer twisted slowly about herself
a winding river
a winding staircase
twine orig. is close to twist but does not have the connotation of tortuousness; it suggests something long and supple draped in spirals or loops about a solid body
the symbol of a serpent twined round a staff
vines twining about a tree may kill it
entwine is originally an intensive form of twine; it may suggest merely a complete twining about or an inextricable entanglement. coil , curl , and wreathe place less emphasis on the action or motion of bending than on the resulting shape; coil means to roll, wind, or spin in rings or spirals
she wore her hair coiled on top of her head
the waters in the maelstrom coiled and hissed
curl refers to the appearance made by a body of greater length than thickness in bending from its full extension into a shape suggesting a coil of hair, or by a flat surface in rippling and creasing
smoke curling in the blue air
curling waves tossed against the shore
lips curled in derision
wreathe may suggest creasing or crinkling
wreathed in smiles
or the assumption of a wreathy appearance
mists of night wreathe up from meadows — Walter de la Mare
V. ˈwīnd noun
( -s )
1. : a mechanism (as a winch) for winding
2. : an act or instance of winding: as
a.
(1) : the condition of being warped or twisted
took the board out of wind
(2) : the amount of warp
b. : an act or instance of hoisting or pulling by a mechanism that winds (as a winch)
c. : an act or instance of tightening the spring of a mechanism (as a watch or clock)
d. : coil , twist , turn
e. : a particular method of winding
a very open wind is used on the size tube … to minimize thread to thread adhesion — V.A.Schiffer