Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - wind

 I. noun  Usage: often attributive  Etymology: Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German wint ~, Latin ventus, Greek aenai to blow, Sanskrit vati it blows  Date: before 12th century  1.  a. a natural movement of air of any velocity; especially the earth's air or the gas surrounding a planet in natural motion horizontally  b. an artificially produced movement of air  c. solar ~, stellar ~  2.  a. a destructive force or influence  b. a force or agency that carries along or influences ; tendency, trend withstood the ~s of popular opinion — Felix Frankfurter  3.  a. breath 4a  b. breath 2a  c. the pit of the stomach ; solar plexus  4. gas generated in the stomach or the intestines pass ~  5.  a. compressed air or gas  b. archaic air  6. something that is insubstantial: as  a. mere talk ; idle words  b. nothing, nothingness  c. vain self-satisfaction  7.  a. air carrying a scent (as of a hunter or game)  b. slight information especially about something secret ; intimation got ~ of the plan  8.  a. musical ~ instruments especially as distinguished from strings and percussion  b. plural players of ~ instruments  9.  a. a direction from which the ~ may blow ; a point of the compass; especially one of the cardinal points  b. the direction from which the ~ is blowing  • ~less adjective  • ~lessly adverb  II. Date: 15th century  transitive verb  1. to detect or follow by scent  2. to expose to the air or ~ ; dry by exposing to air  3. to make short of breath  4. to regulate the ~ supply of (an organ pipe)  5. to rest (as a horse) in order to allow the breath to be recovered  intransitive verb  1. to scent game  2. dialect to pause for breath  III. verb  (~ed or wound; ~ing)  Etymology: 1~  Date: 1586  transitive verb  1. to cause (as a horn) to sound by blowing ; blow  2. to sound (as a call or note) on a horn wound a rousing call — R. L. Stevenson  intransitive verb to produce a sound on a horn  IV. verb  (wound; also ~ed; ~ing)  Etymology: Middle English, from Old English ~an to twist, move with speed or force, brandish; akin to Old High German wintan to ~, Umbrian ohavendu let him turn aside  Date: before 12th century  transitive verb  1.  a. obsolete weave  b. entangle, involve  c. to introduce sinuously or stealthily ; insinuate  2.  a. to encircle or cover with something pliable ; bind with loops or layers  b. to turn completely or repeatedly about an object ; coil, twine  c.  (1) to hoist or haul by means of a rope or chain and a ~lass  (2) to move (a ship) by hauling on a capstan  d.  (1) to tighten the spring of ~ a clock  (2) obsolete to make tighter ; tighten, tune  (3) crank  e. to raise to a high level (as of excitement or tension) — usually used with up  3.  a. to cause to move in a curving line or path  b. archaic to turn the course of; especially to lead (a person) as one wishes  c.  (1) to cause (as a ship) to change direction ; turn  (2) to turn (a ship) end for end  d. to traverse on a curving course the river ~s the valley  e. to effect by or as if by curving  intransitive verb  1. bend, warp  2.  a. to have a curving course or shape ; extend in curves  b. to proceed as if by ~ing  3. to move so as to encircle something  4. to turn when lying at anchor  V. noun  Date: 14th century  1. a mechanism (as a winch) for ~ing  2. an act of ~ing ; the state of being wound  3. coil, turn  4. a particular method of ~ing WIND  geographical name river W central Wyoming, the upper course of Bighorn River