<B>windage, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the power of the wind to turn a missile from its course. <DD><B> 2. </B>the distance that a missile is turned from its course by the wind. <DD><B> 3. </B>a change in aim to compensate for windage, accomplished on a rifle by a slight lateral adjustment of the rear sight. <DD><B> 4. </B>atmospheric disturbance produced by the passage of a bullet, shell, or other missile. <DD><B> 5. </B>the part of a ship's surface affected by the action of wind. <DD><B> 6. </B>the slight difference between the diameter of a bullet or shell, and of the bore of a gun of the same caliber, a necessary characteristic of certain smoothbore guns and rifled guns firing spherical shot. </DL>
<A NAME="windavalanche">
<B>wind avalanche,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a mass of fine, dry snow that strong winds sweep down a mountainside. </DL>
<A NAME="windbag">
<B>windbag, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>(Slang.) a person who talks a great deal but does not say much. <DD><B> 2. </B>the chest or body considered as a receptacle of breath (a humorous use). <DD><B> 3. </B>a bag full of wind. <DD><B> 4. </B>(Obsolete.) the bellows of an organ. </DL>
<A NAME="windbell">
<B>wind bell,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a bell or bell-like percussion instrument made of metal, glass, or ceramic, freely suspended so as to be sounded by the wind. </DL>
<A NAME="windblown">
<B>wind-blown, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>blown along or about by the wind. <DD><B> 2. </B>cut short and brushed forward. <BR> <I>Ex. a wind-blown haircut.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>slanted or twisted in growth as a result of the prevailing winds. <BR> <I>Ex. wind-blown trees.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="windborne">
<B>wind-borne, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> carried by the wind. <BR> <I>Ex. wind-borne seed or pollen.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="windbox">
<B>windbox, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> an airtight box which receives air under pressure from a bellows or similar source, and from which the air passes into a furnace, organ pipes, or similar apparatus. </DL>
<A NAME="windbreak">
<B>windbreak, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a shelter from the wind or something used to break the force of the wind. A row of trees is one kind of windbreak. </DL>
<A NAME="windbreaker">
<B>windbreaker, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (U.S.) <DD><B> 1. </B>a short sports jacket of nylon, wool, or leather, having a tight-fitting band at the waist and cuffs, used for outdoor wear. <DD><B> 2. </B><B>Windbreaker.</B> a trademark for this jacket. </DL>
<A NAME="windbroken">
<B>wind-broken, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (of horses) unable to breathe properly because of damage to the respiratory organs, and therefore unable to sustain hard work or move at a quick pace. </DL>
<A NAME="windburn">
<B>wind burn, </B>or <B>windburn,</B> noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a roughening or reddening of the skin caused by prolonged exposure to the wind. <DD><B> 2. </B>any injury to leaves or bark caused by the wind. </DL>
<A NAME="windburned">
<B>wind-burned</B> or <B>windburned, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having a wind burn. <BR> <I>Ex. a wind-burned face.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="windcheater">
<B>windcheater, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Especially British.) a windbreaker (def. 1). </DL>
<A NAME="windchest">
<B>windchest, </B>noun. <B>=windbox.</B></DL>
<A NAME="windchill">
<B>wind chill,</B> or <B>windchill, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the combined cooling effect on the human body of air temperature and wind speed. If the air temperature is 10 degrees F and the wind speed is 10 mph, the estimated wind chill is -9 degrees F. </DL>
<A NAME="windchillfactor">
<B>windchill factor,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a factor determined by wind chill; chill factor. </DL>
<A NAME="windchimes">
<B>wind chimes,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> small pieces of glass, metal, or wood, suspended to be sounded by the wind. </DL>
<A NAME="windcone">
<B>wind cone, =wind sock.</B></DL>
<A NAME="winddirection">
<B>wind direction,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the direction from which the wind is blowing, indicated by a weathercock. </DL>
<A NAME="winddown">
<B>wind-down, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a winding down; gradual reduction or suspension. </DL>
<A NAME="winded">
<B>winded, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>out of breath; breathless. <DD><B> 2. </B>exposed to wind or air, especially spoiled or tainted by exposure to air. </DL>
<A NAME="winded">
<B>-winded,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (combining form.) being ______ of wind, or breath. <BR> <I>Ex. Short-winded = being short of wind, or breath.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="winder">
<B>winder</B> (1), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a person or thing that winds. <DD><B> 2. </B>an apparatus for winding thread, cable, or the like. <DD><B> 3. </B>an operative employed in winding wool or other fiber. <DD><B> 4. </B>a key to winding a jack, clock, or other mechanism. <DD><B> 5. </B>(Obsolete.) a twining plant. <BR><I>expr. <B>winders,</B> </I>winding steps in a staircase. <BR> <I>Ex. The best staircases are those without winders (John C. Loudon).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="winder">
<B>winder</B> (2), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a person who winds (blows) a wind instrument. <BR> <I>Ex. Winder of the horn, When snouted wild boars ... Anger our Huntsmen (Keats).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Informal, Figurative.) something that takes one's breath away, as a blow, a run, or a climb. </DL>
<A NAME="winderosion">
<B>wind erosion,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the removal of topsoil by dust storms. </DL>
<A NAME="windfall">
<B>windfall, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1a. </B>fruit blown down from a tree or vine by the wind. <DD><B> b. </B>a tree or trees blown down by the wind. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) an unexpected piece of good luck; unexpected acquisition or advantage. <BR> <I>Ex. a windfall of profits to bondholders (New York Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="windfallprofitstax">
<B>windfall profits tax,</B> <B>=excess-profits tax.</B> <I>Ex. Some in Congress now seem to prefer ... decontrolling prices but imposing a windfall profits tax on producers (New York Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="windflaw">
<B>windflaw, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a sudden gust (of wind); flaw. </DL>
<B>windgall, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a soft tumor or swelling of the synovial bursa at the fetlock joint of a horse, once thought to contain air. </DL>
<A NAME="windgalled">
<B>windgalled, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having windgalls. </DL>
<A NAME="windgap">
<B>wind gap,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a depression in a mountain ridge not deep enough to give passage to a watercourse. </DL>
<A NAME="windgauge">
<B>wind gauge, =anemometer.</B></DL>
<A NAME="windharp">
<B>wind harp, =aeolian harp.</B></DL>
<A NAME="windhover">
<B>windhover, </B>noun. <B>=kestrel.</B></DL>
<A NAME="winding">
<B>winding, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>the act of a person or thing that winds. <DD><B> 2. </B>a bend; turn. <DD><B> 3. </B>something that is wound or coiled. <DD><B> 4. </B>(Electricity.) <DD><B> a. </B>a continuous coil of wire forming a conductor, as in a generator or motor. <DD><B> b. </B>the manner in which the wire is coiled. <BR> <I>Ex. a series winding.</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>a faulty gait of a horse in which one leg tends to curve around another. <DD><I>adj. </I> bending; turning. adv. <B>windingly.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="windingframe">
<B>winding frame,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a machine that winds yarn. </DL>
<A NAME="windingsheet">
<B>winding sheet,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a cloth in which a dead person is wrapped for burial; shroud. </DL>
<A NAME="windinstrument">
<B>wind instrument,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a musical instrument sounded by blowing air into it, particularly one sounded by the breath of the player. French horns, flutes, and trombones are wind instruments. </DL>
<A NAME="windjammer">
<B>windjammer, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>(Informal.) <DD><B> a. </B>a sailing ship, especially a square-rigged ship. <DD><B> b. </B>a member of its crew. <DD><B> 2. </B>(U.S. Slang, Figurative.) a loquacious person; windbag. </DL>
<A NAME="windlass">
<B>windlass, </B>noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> a machine for pulling or lifting things. A windlass is a kind of winch with a horizontal roller or beam, resting on supports, around which a rope, cable, or chain is wound, as to hoist water from a well or to raise an anchor. <BR> <I>Ex. Modern forms of the windlass include drums and cables of cranes and elevators (Allen S. Hall, Jr.).</I> <DD><I>v.t., v.i. </I> to hoist or haul with a windlass. </DL>
<A NAME="windle">
<B>windle, </B>intransitive verb, <B>-dled,</B> <B>-dling.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Dialect.) <DD><B> 1. </B>to move circularly or sinuously; meander; wind. <DD><B> 2. </B>to wind thread, cable, or the like. </DL>
<A NAME="windless">
<B>windless, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>free from wind; calm. <DD><B> 2. </B>out of breath. noun <B>windlessness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="windlestraw">
<B>windlestraw, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Scottish.) <DD><B> 1. </B>a dry, thin, withered stalk of grass. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) a person or thing of trifling worth or a flimsy nature. </DL>
<A NAME="windload">
<B>wind load,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the amount of pressure from the force of wind that a building can withstand. </DL>
