# wing

Pronunciation: say "WING" /wɪŋ/

## Noun

1. The body part of a bird, bat, or insect that enables it to fly.
   - Simple: A body part on a bird, bat, or insect that lets it fly.
   - _The eagle spread its wings and lifted off the cliff edge._
   - _An injured wing can keep a bird grounded for weeks._
2. The part of an aircraft that produces the lift needed to rise into the air.
   - Simple: The flat part of an aircraft that lifts it into the air.
   - _Engineers inspected the wing for cracks before clearing the jet for takeoff._
   - _The aircraft's wings flexed slightly during the worst of the turbulence._
3. A faction within a political movement, typically one whose views lie away from the mainstream center.
   - Simple: A group inside a political party or movement whose members share certain views.
   - _The radical wing of the movement broke away to form its own party._
   - _Her speech appealed mainly to the conservative wing of the coalition._
4. A section of a building that extends from the main part, such as one wing of a hospital, museum, or prison.
   - Simple: A part of a large building that sticks out from the main part, like a section of a hospital or prison.
   - _The museum's east wing houses its entire modern art collection._
   - _A new wing was added to accommodate the growing administrative staff._
5. In soccer, hockey, rugby, and similar games, the attacking position near either side of the field, or a player in that position (a winger).
   - Simple: The left or right side of a sports field, or a player who plays there.
   - _He started the match on the right wing against their fastest defender._
   - _Playing the wing demands real speed and stamina._
7. A unit in an air force. In the US Air Force it is a large formation controlling groups of squadrons; in the RAF it is a command of two or more squadrons.
   - Simple: A large unit in an air force, made up of several squadrons or groups of squadrons.
   - _The fighter wing coordinated several subordinate groups during the exercise._
   - _Each wing in the service answers to a numbered air force above it._
9. One of the areas at the side of a stage that the audience cannot see.
   - Simple: The hidden area at the side of a stage, out of the audience's view.
   - _The director watched the whole show from the wings._
   - _Because the stage had almost no wing space, the crew stored the scenery in the loading dock._
10. A makeup effect in which eyeliner curves outward and ends in a sharp point.
   - Simple: A line of eyeliner that sweeps out and up to a point at the eye's corner.
   - _A bold wing can make the eyes look far more dramatic._
   - _She practiced for weeks until her wings matched on both sides._
11. The badge or insignia worn by a qualified pilot or aircrew member.
   - Simple: A badge given to a pilot or aircrew member who has fully qualified.
   - _The cadet was awarded her wings at the graduation ceremony._
   - _He earned his wings after a long year of flight training._
12. A side flap on a menstrual pad that wraps around the edges of the underwear, or on a diaper that fastens around the waist, holding it in place and preventing leakage.
   - Simple: A small flap on the side of a pad or diaper that wraps around to keep it in place.
   - _She pressed the adhesive wing down so the pad would not shift._
   - _The diaper's wings wrapped snugly around the baby's waist._
16. On a car, the body panel around a wheel, especially a front wheel; a fender. *(British)*
   - Simple: The body panel of a car that covers a wheel, especially a front wheel.
   - _The mechanic replaced the dented wing on the driver's side._
   - _Both front wings needed respraying after the collision._
8. Movement or passage through the air by flying; flight itself.
   - Simple: The act of moving through the air by flying.
   - _The falcon took wing the instant the cage was opened._
   - _Startled by the shot, the whole flock was suddenly on the wing._
18. A person's arm. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A person's arm, used in casual slang.
   - _The pitcher has been resting his wing all week._
   - _The pitcher put ice on his sore wing after the game._
19. A platform on either side of a ship's bridge, normally occurring in pairs.
   - Simple: A flat platform on each side of a ship's bridge where the crew can stand and look out.
   - _The captain stepped out onto the bridge wing to judge the gap as they docked._
   - _Lookouts posted on each wing signaled the all-clear before departure._
20. A broad, winglike fin of a fish, such as the side fin of a ray or the enlarged pectoral fin of a flying fish.
   - Simple: A wide, flat fin on a fish such as a ray or flying fish, used like a wing.
   - _The diver watched the manta ray beat each wing like a slow underwater bird._
   - _Fishmongers often sell the skate's wing as a delicacy._

## Verb

6. To do or say something without preparation; to improvise as you go.
   - Simple: To do something without planning or practice beforehand.
   - _Without a script, the host simply winged the entire opening segment._
   - _She hadn't studied at all, so she decided to wing the exam._
13. To injure slightly, especially in the arm or wing, as with a gunshot.
   - Simple: To wound someone or something only slightly, often by shooting an arm or wing.
   - _The sniper winged the suspect in the arm before he could run._
   - _A single pellet can wing a bird without killing it._
14. To throw something.
   - Simple: To throw something, often quickly or without much care.
   - _She winged a snowball straight at her brother._
   - _Just wing the towel over here when you're done._
15. To fly, or to travel through or across a place by flying.
   - Simple: To fly, or to fly across or through a place.
   - _Swallows wing across the meadow at dusk._
   - _The eagle winged toward the distant mountain peak._
17. To carry or bear something in flight, or to move it along very quickly as if on wings.
   - Simple: To carry something quickly through the air, as if on wings.
   - _Within an hour, the drone had winged the medicine across the lake to the island clinic._
   - _A strong tailwind can wing a small plane home well ahead of schedule._

## Other meanings

- (verb) To add a wing (an extra section or part) to a building or structure.
- (noun) A thin, membrane-like extension, such as the flange running along certain stems, a bract on a dragon fruit, or the flat blade on a samara.
- (noun) A lateral shoot of a tree or plant; a branch growing up alongside another.
- (noun) One of the pair of lateral petals in a papilionaceous, or pea-type, flower.
- (noun) A portable shelter formed by a fabric roof on a frame, open at the sides like a tent without walls.
- (noun) In pteropods, either of the flat, flaplike extensions of the foot that the animal uses to swim.
- (noun) Whatever carries something aloft or speeds it along.
- (noun) In fortification, one of the long side walls of a hornwork or crownwork.
- (noun) Any blade or sail that fans the air or is driven by the wind, as on a windmill.
- (noun) A decorative piece at the shoulder of a coat or doublet, such as a little epaulet or a twist of cord.
- (noun) The part of a ship's hold or lower deck closest to the hull's sides, or either end of a line of warships.
- (noun) An informal name for the háček, the small v-shaped mark set over letters such as č.
- (noun) In the enneagram personality system, either of the two neighboring types that color a person's main type.
- (verb) To give wings to something or fit it with them.

## Origin

This word comes from Middle English "winge," from Old Norse "vængr" (the wing of a flying animal or of a building), possibly going back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to blow," which would make it related to "wind." It has cognates in the Scandinavian languages, such as Swedish and Norwegian "vinge" and Icelandic "vængur," and it replaced the native Old English words for wing.

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