- 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
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wind·less \-ləs\ adjective — wind·less·ly adverb
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before the wind : in the same direction as the main force of the wind
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close to the wind : as nearly as possible against the main force of the wind
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have the wind of 1: to be to windward of2: to be on the scent of3: to have a superior position to
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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
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off the wind : away from the direction from which the wind is blowing
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on the wind : toward the direction from which the wind is blowing
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to the wind or to the winds —
under the wind 1: to leeward2: in a place protected from the wind : under the lee
