American Guide Series: LouisianaEdith SitwellC. G. BowersTimeNew York TimesW. D. Edmonds
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Gust Beyond Wind
You’re no doubt familiar with the breezy gust meaning “a brief burst of wind.” But about a century and a half before that word first appeared in print in the late 16th century, a different gust blew onto the scene. The windy gust likely comes from a synonymous Old Norse word, gustr, whereas the older gust, which refers to the sensation of taste as well as to a feeling of enthusiastic delight, comes ultimately from gustus, the Latin word for “taste.” English speakers eventually mostly dropped that older gust, replacing it in the early 17th century with a similar gustus word borrowed from Italian: gusto is now the go-to word when you want to refer to enthusiastic and vigorous enjoyment or appreciation. You can use it with gusto.
Examples of gust in a Sentence
Kansas City Star Weather Bot, Kansas City Star, 14 June 2026
Residents can look for wind gusts of up to 40 mph.
—Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 13 June 2026
Nelly Carreño, CBS News, 11 June 2026
Winds from the north at 15 to 25 mph were expected to gust between 30 and 40 mph during the day.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 11 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for gust
Cite this Entry
“Gust.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gust. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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