# wind

Pronunciation: say "WIND" /wɪnd/

## Noun

1. Air in motion, whether naturally in the atmosphere or produced by a fan, bellows, or another device.
   - Simple: Moving air, caused by weather or by something such as a fan.
   - _Strong wind battered the coast throughout the night._
   - _Sailors rely on steady wind to push their boats forward._
4. Instruments sounded by blowing air through them, especially woodwinds, or the players of them in an orchestra or band.
   - Simple: Instruments you play by blowing, like the flute or clarinet, or the people who play them.
   - _The composer scored a delicate passage for the wind alone._
   - _After the strings faded, the wind took up the main theme._
5. News of an event, learned especially through hearsay or gossip.
   - Simple: Information about something, learned through rumor or gossip.
   - _The press got wind of the scandal before the official announcement._
   - _Somehow she got wind of his secret travel plans._
6. A tendency or trend in the way events or opinions are developing.
   - Simple: A general trend or direction in which things seem to be moving.
   - _The wind of public opinion was clearly moving toward reform._
   - _Investors sensed a new wind blowing through the tech industry._
8. Breath, or the ability to breathe easily during effort, speaking or playing an instrument.
   - Simple: Breath, or how easily you can breathe when running, singing or playing an instrument.
   - _She lost her wind halfway up the steep mountain trail._
   - _Boxers train hard to keep their wind through long matches._
10. A polite word for gas that builds up in the stomach or bowels. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A polite word for gas built up in the stomach or intestines.
   - _Gently patting a baby's back can help bring up wind._
   - _Rich, fatty foods can leave you with uncomfortable wind._
11. The act of winding or turning; a single turn, bend, or twist. (pronounced: say "WYND" /waɪnd/)
   - Simple: A single turn, twist, or bend, or the act of turning something.
   - _One more wind of the key and the toy sprang to life._
   - _She gave the music box a few quick winds, set it on the shelf, and listened to the tune._
12. Any of the compass points, especially the four cardinal ones, considered as a direction the wind may come from.
   - Simple: Any of the compass directions from which moving air may come, such as north or south.
   - _Old maps marked each wind around the edge of the compass rose._
   - _When the mill closed, its workers scattered to the four winds, and few of them ever met again._
15. Empty or meaningless talk; words and effort with no real substance behind them.
   - Simple: Talk that has no real meaning, just empty words.
   - _The senator's speech was all wind, full of grand claims and no real plan._
   - _Their threats turned out to be pure wind once the deadline passed._

## Verb

2. To travel or follow a path that has numerous curves and bends. (pronounced: say "WYND" /waɪnd/)
   - Simple: To follow a curving, twisting path.
   - _The trail winds slowly up the steep hillside._
   - _Narrow streets wind between the old stone houses._
3. To wrap or coil something such as a cord, tape or thread around an object, or to twist around and encircle it. (pronounced: say "WYND" /waɪnd/)
   - Simple: To wrap something like string or tape around something else, or to curl around it.
   - _Wind the cord around your hand to keep it from tangling._
   - _He wound the bandage carefully around her injured wrist._
7. To keep a clock, watch or other mechanism running by turning a key or crank, which tightens its spring or raises its weights. (pronounced: say "WYND" /waɪnd/)
   - Simple: To turn a key or knob on a clock, watch or toy so that it keeps running.
   - _Remember to wind the grandfather clock before bed._
   - _He wound the pocket watch until the spring was tight._
9. To knock the breath out of someone, as with a punch to the abdomen, or to make them breathless through running or other hard exertion.
   - Simple: To leave someone gasping for breath, as from a blow to the stomach or hard effort.
   - _A sharp blow to the belly will wind even a strong athlete._
   - _The collision winded him so badly he had to leave the field._
13. To help a baby bring up swallowed air by patting or rubbing its back after a feed. *(British)*
   - Simple: To pat a baby's back after feeding so it can bring up air.
   - _New parents learn to wind their infant to ease the discomfort after a feed._
   - _She winded the baby over her shoulder, patting until he settled._
14. To move something by exerting a turning or winding force, as when hauling or hoisting with a winch. (pronounced: say "WYND" /waɪnd/)
   - Simple: To move something by turning a crank or winch.
   - _At the boat ramp, she used the hand winch to slowly wind the boat up onto its trailer._
   - _Before we headed home, Dad wound the anchor up from the lake bottom with the hand winch on the bow._
16. To produce a sound by blowing air through a horn or wind instrument. (pronounced: say "WYND" /waɪnd/)
   - Simple: To make a sound by blowing into a horn.
   - _When the enemy came into view, the watchman began to wind his horn from the tower._
   - _Deep in the forest, the knight winded his horn three times, hoping his companions would hear._
17. To detect or track something by its scent.
   - Simple: To find or follow something by smelling it.
   - _Hounds wind their quarry from far off, even across open ground._
   - _We stayed downwind of the herd, but an old cow elk winded us anyway and led the others away._
18. To have complete control over someone, bending them to your will, now used almost only in wind someone around your little finger. (pronounced: say "WYND" /waɪnd/)
   - Simple: To control someone completely, used mostly in the phrase wind someone around your little finger.
   - _Our five-year-old has wound both grandparents around her little finger, and they never refuse her anything._
   - _With a little flattery and a lot of patience, he knows exactly how to wind his boss around his little finger._

## Other meanings

- (noun) Moving air as one of the basic elements of nature, as in the five-element systems of Hindu India and Japanese Buddhism.
- (noun) The area of the solar plexus, where a blow can make the diaphragm spasm and leave you briefly unable to breathe.
- (noun) In mah-jongg, any of the four tiles named for the cardinal directions.
- (verb) To introduce something gradually and indirectly, by subtle or devious means.
- (verb) To expose something to the wind so as to dry, ventilate, or winnow it.
- (verb) To turn a windmill, or its cap, so that the sails face directly into the wind.
- (noun) A sheep disease that strikes just after shearing, involving severe inflammation of the bowels, once put down to swelling with gas.
- (noun) The dotterel, a small plover.
- (verb) To bring a vessel about until the breeze blows on the opposite side.
- (verb) To let a horse or other animal rest so it can get its breath back.
- (verb) To swing a ship round so that its bow and stern change places.

## Origin

**Meanings 1, 4–6, 8–10, 12–13, 15–17** — From Middle English wind and Old English wind, going back through Proto-Germanic *windaz to a Proto-Indo-European word formed from a root meaning "to blow." It is related to Dutch wind, German Wind, Latin ventus, Welsh gwynt, and Sanskrit vāta, all meaning "wind."
**Meanings 2–3, 7, 11, 14, 18** — Old English windan became Middle English wynden, and the Old English verb comes from Proto-Germanic *windaną. Dutch and German both have the related verb winden, and English wend is also connected.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/wind (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).