Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Wind
Wind
,Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Wound
(wound)
(rarely Winded
); p. pr. & vb. n.
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 ballWhether to
The woodbine round this arbor.
wind
The woodbine round this arbor.
Milton.
2.
To entwist; to infold; to encircle.
Sleep, and I will
wind
thee in arms. Shakespeare
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.” Shak.
In his terms so he would him
wind
. Chaucer.
Gifts blind the wise, and bribes do please
And
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
Yourself into a power tyrannical.
wind
Yourself into a power tyrannical.
Shakespeare
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 twineTo wind off
, to unwind; to uncoil.
– To wind out
, to extricate.
[Obs.]
Clarendon.
– To wind up
. (a)
To coil into a ball or small compass, as a skein of thread; to coil completely.
(b)
To bring to a conclusion or settlement;
as,
. to wind up
one's affairs; to wind up
an argument(c)
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.” Dryden.
“Thus they wound up his temper to a pitch.” Atterbury.
(d)
To tighten (the strings) of a musical instrument, so as to tune it.
“Wind up the slackened strings of thy lute.” Waller.
Wind
,Verb.
I.
1.
To turn completely or repeatedly; to become coiled about anything; to assume a convolved or spiral form;
as, vines
. wind
round a poleSo 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 treesAnd where the valley
The murmuring main was heard, and scarcely heard, to flow.
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
[GREEK]lowly o'er the lea. Gray.
To wind out, to extricate one's self; to escape.
Long struggling underneath are they could
Long struggling underneath are they could
wind
Out
of such prison. Milton.
Wind
,Noun.
The act of winding or turning; a turn; a bend; a twist; a winding.
Wind
(wĭnd, in poetry and singing often wīnd; 277)
, Noun.
[AS.
wind
; akin to OS., OFries., D., & G. wind
, OHG. wint
, Dan. & Sw. vind
, Icel. vindr
, Goth winds
, W. gwynt
, L. ventus
, Skr. vāta
(cf. Gr. ἀήτησ
a blast, gale, ἀῆναι
to breathe hard, to blow, as the wind); originally a p. pr. from the verb seen in Skr. vā
to blow, akin to AS. wāwan
, D. waaijen
, G. wehen
, OHG. wāen
, wājen
, Goth. waian
. √131. Cf. Air
, Ventail
, Ventilate
, Window
, Winnow
.] 1.
Air naturally in motion with any degree of velocity; a current of air.
Except
It is an ill
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.
2.
Air artificially put in motion by any force or action;
as, the
wind
of a cannon ball; the wind
of a bellows.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
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. Shakespeare
5.
Air or gas generated in the stomach or bowels; flatulence;
as, to be troubled with
. wind
6.
Air impregnated with an odor 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.
☞ This sense seems to have had its origin in the East. The Hebrews gave to each of the four cardinal points the name of wind.
8.
(Far.)
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
Of airy threats to awe.
wind
Of airy threats to awe.
Milton.
10.
(Zool.)
The dotterel.
[Prov. Eng.]
☞ Wind is often used adjectively, or as the first part of compound words.
All in the wind
. (Naut.)
See under
– All
, Noun.
Before the wind
. (Naut.)
See under
– Before
. Between wind and water
(Naut.)
, in that part of a ship's side or bottom which is frequently brought above water by the rolling of the ship, or fluctuation of the water's surface. Hence, colloquially, (as an injury to that part of a vessel, in an engagement, is particularly dangerous) the vulnerable part or point of anything.
– Cardinal winds
. See under
– Cardinal
, Adj.
Down the wind
. (a)
In the direction of, and moving with, the wind; as, birds fly swiftly down the wind.
(b)
Decaying; declining; in a state of decay.
[Obs.]
“He went down the wind still.” L'Estrange.
– In the wind's eye
(Naut.)
, directly toward the point from which the wind blows.
– Three sheets in the wind
, unsteady from drink.
[Sailors' Slang]
– To be in the wind
, to be suggested or expected; to be a matter of suspicion or surmise.
[Colloq.]
– To carry the wind
(Man.)
, to toss the nose as high as the ears, as a horse.
– To raise the wind
, to procure money.
[Colloq.]
– To take the wind
or To have the wind
to gain or have the advantage.
Bacon.
– To take the wind out of one's sails
, to cause one to stop, or lose way, as when a vessel intercepts the wind of another; to cause one to lose enthusiasm, or momentum in an activity.
[Colloq.]
– To take wind
, or To get wind
to be divulged; to become public; as, the story got wind, or took wind.
– Wind band
(Mus.)
, a band of wind instruments; a military band; the wind instruments of an orchestra.
– Wind chest
(Mus.)
, a chest or reservoir of wind in an organ.
– Wind dropsy
. (Med.)
(a)
Tympanites.
(b)
Emphysema of the subcutaneous areolar tissue.
– Wind egg
, an imperfect, unimpregnated, or addled egg.
– Wind furnace
. See the Note under
– Furnace
. Wind gauge
. See under
– Gauge
. Wind gun
. Same as
– Air gun
. Wind hatch
(Mining)
, the opening or place where the ore is taken out of the earth.
– Wind instrument
(Mus.)
, an instrument of music sounded by means of wind, especially by means of the breath, as a flute, a clarinet, etc.
– Wind pump
, a pump moved by a windmill.
– Wind rose
, a table of the points of the compass, giving the states of the barometer, etc., connected with winds from the different directions.
– Wind sail
. (a)
(Naut.)
A wide tube or funnel of canvas, used to convey a stream of air for ventilation into the lower compartments of a vessel.
(b)
The sail or vane of a windmill.
– Wind shake
, a crack or incoherence in timber produced by violent winds while the timber was growing.
– Wind shock
, a wind shake.
– Wind side
, the side next the wind; the windward side.
[R.]
Mrs. Browning.
– Wind rush
(Zool.)
, the redwing.
[Prov. Eng.]
– Wind wheel
, a motor consisting of a wheel moved by wind.
– Wood wind
(Mus.)
, the flutes and reed instruments of an orchestra, collectively.
Wind
,Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Winded
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Winding
.] 1.
To expose to the wind; to winnow; to ventilate.
2.
To perceive or follow by the scent; to scent; to nose;
as, the hounds
. winded
the game3.
(a)
To drive hard, or force to violent exertion, as a horse, so as to render scant of wind; to put out of breath.
(b)
To rest, as a horse, in order to allow the breath to be recovered; to breathe.
To wind a ship
(Naut.)
, to turn it end for end, so that the wind strikes it on the opposite side.
Wind
,Verb.
T.
[From
Wind
, moving air, but confused in sense and in conjugation with wind
to turn.] [
imp. & p. p.
Wound
(wound)
, R.
Winded
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Winding
.] To blow; to sound by blowing; esp., to sound with prolonged and mutually involved notes.
“Hunters who wound their horns.” Pennant.
Ye vigorous swains, while youth ferments your blood, . . .
Wind
the shrill horn. Pope.
That blast was
winded
by the king. Sir W. Scott.
Webster 1828 Edition
Wind
WIND
,Noun.
1.
Air in motion with any degree of velocity, indefinitely; a current of air. When the air moves moderately, we call it a light wind, or a breeze; when with more velocity, we call it a fresh breeze, and when with violence, we call it a gale, storm or tempest. The word gale is used by the poets for a moderate breeze, but seamen use it as equivalent to storm. Winds are denominated from the point of compass from which they blow; as a north wind; an east wind; a south wind; a west wind; a southwest wind, &c.2.
The four winds, the cardinal points of the heavens.Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain. Ezekiel 37.
This sense of the word seems to have had its origin with the orientals, as it was the practice of the Hebrews to give to each of the four cardinal points the name of wind.
3.
Direction of the wind from other points of the compass than the cardinal, or any point of compass; as a compass of eight winds.4.
Breath; power of respiration.If my wind were but long enough to say my prayers, I would repent.
5.
Air in motion form any force or action; as the wind of a cannon ball; the wind of a bellows.6.
Breath modulated by the organs or by an instrument.Their instruments were various in their kind, some for the bow, and some for breathing wind.
7.
Air impregnated with scent.A pack of dog-fish had him in the wind.
8.
Any thing insignificant or light as wind.Think not with wind or airy threats to awe.
9.
Flatulence; air generated in the stomach and bowels; as, to be troubled with wind.10.
The name given to a disease of sheep, in which the intestines are distended with air, or rather affected with a violent inflammation. It occurs immediately after shearing. Down the wind, decaying; declining; in a state of decay; as, he went down the wind. [Not used.]
To take or have the wind, or to get wind, to be divulged; to become public. The story got wind, or took wind.
In the winds eye, in seamens language, towards the direct point from which the wind blows.
Between wind and water, denoting that part of a ships side or bottom which is frequently brought above water by the rolling of the ship, or fluctuation of the waters surface.
To carry the wind, in the manege, is when a horse tosses his nose as high as his ears.
Constant or perennial wind, a wind that blows constantly from one point of the compass; as the trade wind of the tropics.
Shifting, variable or erratic winds, are such as are changeable, now blowing from one point and now from another, and then ceasing altogether.
Stated or periodical wind, a wind that constantly returns at a certain time, and blows steadily from one point for a certain time. Such are the monsoons in India, and land and sea breezes.
Trade wind, a wind that blows constantly from one point, such as the tropical wind in the Atlantic.