winding

== English == === Etymology 1 === The noun is derived from Middle English winding, windinge, wyndynge (“act of exposing something to the wind, airing, ventilating; act of winnowing (?)”), from winden, wynden (“to expose (something) to the air or wind, ventilate; to cause (someone) to be out of breath; to winnow (wheat); of an animal: to catch the scent of (someone or something)”) + -ing, -inge (suffix forming gerund nouns, and the present participle forms of verbs). The adjective is derived from the verb. The English word is analysable as wind (“to blow air through (a wind instrument or horn) to make a sound; to cause (someone) to become breathless; to winnow (food grain), etc.”) +‎ -ing (suffix forming present participial adjectives and verbs, and nouns denoting an action or the embodiment of an action). ==== Pronunciation ==== (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA(key): /ˈwɪndɪŋ/ Rhymes: -ɪndɪŋ Hyphenation: wind‧ing ==== Noun ==== winding (countable and uncountable, plural windings) gerund of wind (agriculture, chiefly attributive) The act of winnowing (“subjecting food grain to a current of air to separate the grain from the chaff”). (music) The act of blowing air through a wind instrument or (chiefly) a horn to make a sound. ===== Translations ===== ==== Adjective ==== winding (not generally comparable, comparative more winding, superlative most winding) Causing one to be breathless or out of breath. (not comparable, music) Of a horn or wind instrument: blown to make a sound. ===== Translations ===== ==== Verb ==== winding present participle and gerund of wind === Etymology 2 === The noun is derived from Middle English winding, windinge, wyndynge (“directional change, curve, turn; bend of the leg at the knee; meandering course of a river; act of turning and twisting; twisting of things (especially thread) together; wrapping of a cloth around something; wattling of a structure; wattle(s); ornamentation with interwoven patterns; hoisting of something”) [and other forms], and then partly: from winden, wynden (“to go, move; to move forcefully or suddenly; to direct, guide, lead; to go along a meandering or twisting course; to move in a circular pattern, revolve, turn; to move restlessly, toss and turn; to wriggle free; to move with a turning or twisting motion, bend, turn, twist; to form or mould (something) in one’s hands; to mix together; to cover; to clothe, dress; to wrap (a baby, a corpse, etc.); to encircle, surround; to bind; to interlace; to winch; (figurative) to conceal, disguise; to embroil, involve”) + -ing, -inge (suffix forming gerund nouns, and the present participle forms of verbs).; and from Old English windung (“woven object”), from windan (“to twist, wind; to circle, curl, eddy, spiral”) (from Proto-Germanic *windaną (“to wind; to wrap”), from Proto-Indo-European *wendʰ- (“to turn; to wind”)) + -ung (suffix forming nouns denoting a verbal action or something involved in a verbal action). The adjective is derived from the verb. The English word is analysable as wind (“to turn coils of (a cord, etc.) around something; to encircle, enfold, entwist, wrap; to travel in a way that is not straight”) +‎ -ing (suffix forming present participial adjectives and verbs, and nouns denoting an action or the embodiment of an action). ==== Pronunciation ==== (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA(key): /ˈwaɪndɪŋ/ Rhymes: -aɪndɪŋ Hyphenation: wind‧ing ==== Noun ==== winding (countable and uncountable, plural windings) gerund of wind The act of twisting something, or coiling or wrapping something around another thing. (especially in the plural) A curving, sinuous, or twisting movement; twists and turns. (especially in the plural) A curving, sinuous, or twisting form. Chiefly followed by up: the act of tightening the spring of a clockwork or other mechanism. Sometimes followed by up: the act of hoisting something using a winch or a similar device. (figurative, chiefly in the plural) Twists and turns in an occurrence, in thinking, or some other thing; also, moral crookedness; craftiness, shiftiness. (UK, nautical) The act or process of turning a boat or ship in a certain direction. (obsolete, music) A variation in a tune. Something wound around another thing. (electrical engineering) A length of wire wound around the armature of an electric motor or the core of an electrical transformer. (lutherie) Synonym of lapping (“lengths of fine silk, metal wire, or whalebone wrapped tightly around the stick of the bow of a string instrument adjacent to the leather part of the bow grip at the heel”). (obsolete) A decorative object, design, or other thing with curves or twists. (except dialectal) Synonym of withe or withy (“a flexible, slender shoot or twig, especially when used as a band or for binding”); also, all the withies used to make or repair a wall, or the process of using withies in this manner. ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== ==== Adjective ==== winding (comparative more winding, superlative most winding) Moving in a sinuous or twisting manner. Sinuous, turning, or twisting in form. Chiefly of a staircase: helical, spiral. (figurative) Of speech, writing, etc.: not direct or to the point; rambling, roundabout. Synonyms: circuitous, circumlocutionary, indirect, meandering, tortuous (obsolete) Flexible, pliant. (figurative) Morally crooked; crafty, shifty. ===== Derived terms ===== windingly windingness ===== Translations ===== ==== Verb ==== winding present participle and gerund of wind === References === === Further reading === winding hole on Wikipedia.Wikipedia winding (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia === Anagrams === dwining