1. To turn completely or repeatedly; to become coiled about anything; to assume a convolved or spiral form; as, vines wind round a pole. "So swift your judgments turn and wind." (Dryden)

2. To have a circular course or direction; to crook; to bend; to meander; as, to wind in and out among trees. "And where the valley winded out below, The murmuring main was heard, and scarcely heard, to flow." (Thomson) "He therefore turned him to the steep and rocky path which . . . Winded through the thickets of wild boxwood and other low aromatic shrubs." (Sir W. Scott)

3. To go to the one side or the other; to move this way and that; to double on one's course; as, a hare pursued turns and winds. "The lowing herd wind lowly o'er the lea." (Gray) "To wind out, to extricate one's self; to escape. Long struggling underneath are they could wind Out of such prison." (Milton)

To blow; to sound by blowing; especially, to sound with prolonged and mutually involved notes. "Hunters who wound their horns." "Ye vigorous swains, while youth ferments your blood, . . . Wind the shrill horn." (Pope) "That blast was winded by the king." (Sir W. Scott)

Origin: From Wind, moving air, but confused in sense and in conjugation with wind to turn] [Wound, Winded; Winding.

1. To expose to the wind; to winnow; to ventilate.


3. To drive hard, or force to violent exertion, as a horse, so as to render scant of wind; to put out of breath. To rest, as a horse, in order to allow the breath to be recovered; to breathe. To wind a ship, to turn it end for end, so that the wind strikes it on the opposite side.

Origin: Winded; Winding.

1. To turn completely, or with repeated turns; especially, to turn about something fixed; to cause to form convolutions about anything; to coil; to twine; to twist; to wreathe; as, to wind thread on a spool or into a ball. "Whether to wind The woodbine round this arbor." (Milton)

2. To entwist; to infold; to encircle. "Sleep, and I will wind thee in arms." (Shak)

3. To have complete control over; to turn and bend at one's pleasure; to vary or alter or will; to regulate; to govern. "To turn and wind a fiery Pegasus." "In his terms so he would him wind." (Chaucer) "Gifts blind the wise, and bribes do please And wind all other witnesses." (Herrick) "Were our legislature vested in the prince, he might wind and turn our constitution at his pleasure." (Addison)

4. To introduce by insinuation; to insinuate. "You have contrived . . . To wind Yourself into a power tyrannical." (Shak) "Little arts and dexterities they have to wind in such things into discourse." (Gov. Of Tongue)

5. To cover or surround with something coiled about; as, to wind a rope with twine. To wind off, to unwind; to uncoil. To wind out, to extricate. To wind up. To coil into a ball or small compass, as a skein of thread; to coil completely. To bring to a conclusion or settlement; as, to wind up one's affairs; to wind up an argument. To put in a state of renewed or continued motion, as a clock, a watch, etc, by winding the spring, or that which carries the weight; hence, to prepare for continued movement or action; to put in order anew. "Fate seemed to wind him up for fourscore years." . "Thus they wound up his temper to a pitch." . To tighten (the strings) of a musical instrument, so as to tune it. "Wind up the slackened strings of thy lute." .

Origin: OE. Winden, AS. Windan; akin to OS. Windan, D. & G. Winden, OHG. Wintan, Icel. & Sw. Vinda, Dan. Vinde, Goth. Windan (in comp). Cf. Wander, Wend.

1. Air naturally in motion with any degree of velocity; a current of air. "Except wind stands as never it stood, It is an ill wind that turns none to good." (Tusser). "Winds were soft, and woods were green." (Longfellow)


3. Breath modulated by the respiratory and vocal organs, or by an instrument. "Their instruments were various in their kind, Some for the bow, and some for breathing wind." (Dryden)

4. Power of respiration; breath. "If my wind were but long enough to say my prayers, I would repent." (Shak)


6. Air impregnated with an odour or scent. "A pack of dogfish had him in the wind." (Swift)

7. A direction from which the wind may blow; a point of the compass; especially, one of the cardinal points, which are often called the four winds. "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain." (Ezek. Xxxvii. 9)


8. <veterinary> A disease of sheep, in which the intestines are distended with air, or rather affected with a violent inflammation. It occurs immediately after shearing.

9. Mere breath or talk; empty effort; idle words. "Nor think thou with wind Of airy threats to awe." (Milton)

10. <zoology> The dotterel.

Wind is often used adjectively, or as the first part of compound words. All in the wind.

<medicine> The flutes and reed instruments of an orchestra, collectively.

Origin: AS. Wind; akin to OS, OFries, D, & G. Wind, OHG. Wint, Dan. & Sw. Vind, Icel. Vindr, Goth winds, W. Gwynt, L. Ventus, Skr. Vata (cf. Gr. 'ahths a blast, gale, 'ah^nai to breathe hard, to blow, as the wind); originally a p. Pr. From the verb seen in Skr. Va to blow, akin to AS. Wawan, D. Waaijen, G. Wehen, OHG. Waen, wajen, Goth. Waian. Cf. Air, Ventail, Ventilate, Window, Winnow.

(01 Mar 1998)

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