wing - Wiktionary, the free dictionary (original) (raw)

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

A laughing gull with its wings extended in the gullwing profile

A mute swan spreads its wings.

The wing of a landing BMI Airbus A319-100. The slats at its leading edge and the flaps at its trailing edge are extended.

The winged stem of Cirsium vulgare.

A building with two wings

From Middle English winge, wenge, from Old Norse vængr ("wing of a flying animal, wing of a building"; compare vængi (“ship's cabin”)), from Proto-Germanic *wēingijaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂weh₁- (“to blow”), thus related to wind.

Cognate with Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Swedish vinge (“wing”), Elfdalian waingg (“wing”), Faroese vongur (“wing”), Icelandic vængur (“wing”), Norwegian Nynorsk veng (“wing”).

Replaced native Middle English fither (from Old English fiþre, from Proto-Germanic *fiþriją), which merged with Middle English fether (from Old English feþer, from Proto-Germanic *feþrō). More at feather.

wing (countable and uncountable, plural wings)

  1. (zootomy) An appendage of an animal's (bird, bat, insect) body that enables it to fly.
    The bird was flapping its wings
  2. A fin at the side of a ray or similar fish.
  3. (slang) Human arm.
  4. (aviation) Part of an aircraft that produces the lift for rising into the air.
    I took my seat on the plane, overlooking the wing.
  5. One of the large pectoral fins of a flying fish.
  6. One of the broad, thin, anterior lobes of the foot of a pteropod, used as an organ in swimming.
  7. (botany) Any membranaceous expansion, such as that along the sides of certain stems, or one of the bracts on a dragon fruit, or of a fruit of the kind called samara.
  8. (botany) Either of the two side petals of a papilionaceous flower.
  9. A side shoot of a tree or plant; a branch growing up by the side of another.
  10. Passage by flying; flight.
    to take wing
  1. Limb or instrument of flight; means of flight or of rapid motion.
  1. A part of something that is lesser in size than the main body, and located at the side, such as an extension from the main building.
    the west wing of the hospital
    the wings of a corkscrew
  2. (figurative) Either of two similar parts of something.
  1. One of the longer sides of crownworks or hornworks in fortification.
  2. (slang, MLE) Ellipsis of prison wing, a cellblock; or prison or doing time by extension.
  1. Anything that agitates the air as a wing does, or is put in winglike motion by the action of the air, such as a fan or vane for winnowing grain, the vane or sail of a windmill, the sail of a ship, etc.
  1. A protruding piece of material on a menstrual pad or diaper to hold it in place and prevent leakage.
  1. An ornament worn on the shoulder; a small epaulet or shoulder knot.
  2. A cosmetic effect where eyeliner curves outward and ends at a point.
  3. A faction of a political movement. Usually implies a position apart from the mainstream center position.
  4. An organizational grouping in a military aviation service:
  5. (British) A unit of command consisting of two or more squadrons and itself being a sub-unit of a group or station.
  6. (US) A larger formation of two or more groups, which in turn control two or more squadrons.
  7. (British) A panel of a car which encloses the wheel area, especially the front wheels.
  8. (nautical) A platform on either side of the bridge of a vessel, normally found in pairs.
  9. (nautical) That part of the hold or orlop of a vessel which is nearest the sides. In a fleet, one of the extremities when the ships are drawn up in line, or when forming the two sides of a triangle.
  1. (sports) A position in several field games on either side of the field.
    Smith started the game in the centre of midfield, but moved to the wing after 30 minutes.
  2. (sports) A player occupying such a position; a winger.
  1. (typography, informal, rare) A háček.
  1. (theater) One of the unseen areas on the side of the stage in a theatre.
  2. (in the plural) The insignia of a qualified pilot or aircrew member.
  1. A portable shelter consisting of a fabric roof on a frame, like a tent without sides.
  2. On the enneagram, one of the two adjacent types to an enneatype that forms an individual's subtype of his or her enneatype.
    Tom's a 4 on the enneagram, with a 3 wing.

part of an animal

part of an aircraft

extension to a main body

faction of a political movement

air force unit

panel of a car which encloses the wheel area

sports: person in such position

Translations to be checked

wing (third-person singular simple present wings, present participle winging, simple past and past participle winged or (colloquial) wung)

  1. (transitive) To injure slightly (as with a gunshot), especially in the wing or arm.
  2. (intransitive) To fly.
    • 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, “Afterglow”, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC, page 168:
      Breezes blowing from beds of iris quickened her breath with their perfume; she saw the tufted lilacs sway in the wind, and the streamers of mauve-tinted wistaria swinging, all a-glisten with golden bees; she saw a crimson cardinal winging through the foliage, and amorous tanagers flashing like scarlet flames athwart the pines.
  3. (intransitive) To travel swiftly.
    • 1923, Ernest Bramah, The Eyes of Max Carrados:
      He had pulled up so expertly that the man escaped, so smoothly that not a passenger was jarred, and now he sat with a dazed and vacant expression on his face, leaning forward on his steering wheel, while caustic inquiry and retort winged unheeded up and down the line behind him.
  4. (transitive, of a building) To add a wing (extra part) to.
  5. (transitive) To act or speak extemporaneously; to improvise; to wing it.
    I lost all my notes I'd made, so was partially winging the meeting.
  6. (transitive) To throw.
    Synonyms: fling, hurl; see also Thesaurus:throw
  7. (transitive) To furnish with wings.
  8. (transitive) To transport with, or as if with, wings; to bear in flight, or speedily.
  9. (transitive) To traverse by flying.

to injure slightly

to be extemporaneous

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “Onomatopoeic?”)

wing

  1. (Hong Kong Cantonese, slang, of person) intoxicated; tipsy

wing

  1. alternative form of winge

From English wing.

wing

  1. wing

wing

  1. little (by amount)

From Middle English winge, wenge, from Old Norse vængr.

wing

  1. (figurative) cross
    • 1867, GLOSSARY OF THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY:
      Vour-wing leet.
      Four cross roads.