Main Entry:

¹wind

Pronunciation:

\ˈwind, archaic or poetic ˈwīnd\

Function:

noun

Usage:

often attributive

Etymology:

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German wint wind, Latin ventus, Greek aēnai to blow, Sanskrit vāti it blows

Date:

before 12th century

1 a: a natural movement of air of any velocity ; especially : the earth's air or the gas surrounding a planet in natural motion horizontally b: an artificially produced movement of air c: solar wind, stellar wind2 a: a destructive force or influence b: a force or agency that carries along or influences : tendency, trend <withstood the winds of popular opinion — Felix Frankfurter>3 a: breath 4a b: breath 2a c: the pit of the stomach : solar plexus4: gas generated in the stomach or the intestines <pass wind>5 a: compressed air or gas barchaic : air6: something that is insubstantial: as a: mere talk : idle words b: nothing, nothingness c: vain self-satisfaction 7 a: air carrying a scent (as of a hunter or game) b: slight information especially about something secret : intimation <got wind of the plan>8 a: musical wind instruments especially as distinguished from strings and percussion bplural : players of wind instruments9 a: a direction from which the wind may blow : a point of the compass ; especially : one of the cardinal points b: the direction from which the wind is blowing

— wind·less \-ləs\ adjective

— wind·less·ly adverb

— before the wind

: in the same direction as the main force of the wind

— close to the wind

: as nearly as possible against the main force of the wind

— have the wind of

1: to be to windward of2: to be on the scent of3: to have a superior position to

— in the wind

: about to happen : astir, afoot <change is in the wind>

— near the wind

1: close to the wind2: close to a point of danger : near the permissible limit

— off the wind

: away from the direction from which the wind is blowing

— on the wind

: toward the direction from which the wind is blowing

— to the wind or to the winds

: aside, away <threw caution to the wind>

— under the wind

1: to leeward2: in a place protected from the wind : under the lee