windmill en · NOUN
Pronunciation
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂weh₁- Proto-Indo-European *-ti Proto-Indo-European *h₂wḗh₁ti Proto-Indo-European *h₂wéh₁n̥ts Proto-Germanic *windaz Proto-West Germanic *wind Old English wind Middle English wynd Proto-Indo-European *melh₂- Proto-Indo-European *-ti Proto-Indo-European *mélh₂ti Proto-Italic *melō Latin molō Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Indo-European *-iHnos Proto-Italic *-īnos Latin -īnus Latin molīnus Late Latin molīnabor. Proto-West Germanic *mulīnu Old English mylen Middle English mylne Middle English wyndmylne English windmill From Middle English wyndmylne, wyndmylle, equivalent to wind + mill. Cognate with Scots wyndmyln, wyndmyl, Saterland Frisian Wíendmäälne, West Frisian wynmûne, Dutch windmolen, Afrikaans windmeul, Dutch Low Saxon windmölle (Achterhooks), wiendmeule (Drents, Veluws), German Low German Windmöhl, German Windmühle, Danish vindmølle, Norwegian Bokmål vindmølle, Norwegian Nynorsk vindmølle, vindmylne, Swedish vindmölla, Icelandic vindmylla. (imaginary enemy): A reference to Don Quixote tilting at windmills.
Meanings
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A machine which translates linear motion of wind to rotational motion by means of adjustable vanes called sails.
Turbines have been around for a long time—windmills and water wheels are early examples. The name comes from the Latin turbo, meaning vortex, and thus the defining property of a turbine is that a fluid or gas turns the blades of a rotor, which is attached to a shaft that can perform useful work.
2013 July-August, Lee S. Langston, “The Adaptable Gas Turbine”, in American Scientist:
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The building or structure containing such machinery.
There was once a windmill and a baker's shop in the middle of Rabbitland. Three rabbits, Rodney, Rudolph and Rosie lived in the windmill.
1984, Hayden McAllister, Funny-bunny bedtime stories:The home of the high-spirited French can-can has been laid temporarily low after the sails of the red-painted windmill on top of the Moulin Rouge, the most celebrated cabaret in Paris, tumbled inexplicably to the ground in the early hours.
2024 April 25, Jon Henley, “Moulin Rouge windmill sails collapse in Paris”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
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(colloquial, proscribed) A wind turbine, a device for converting wind power into electricity.
“I never understood wind. You know, I know windmills very much. They’re noisy. They kill the birds. You want to see a bird graveyard? Go under a windmill someday. You’ll see more birds than you’ve ever seen in your life.”
2019 December 24, Richard Luscombe, quoting Donald Trump, “‘I never understood wind’: Trump goes on bizarre tirade against wind turbines”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:“The other thing I say to Europe: we’ve – we will not allow a windmill to be built in the United States. They’re killing us. They’re killing the beauty of our scenery.”
2025 August 3, Adam Gabbatt, quoting Donald Trump, “‘He has trouble completing a thought’: bizarre public appearances again cast doubt on Trump’s mental acuity”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
- A child's toy consisting of vanes mounted on a stick that rotate when blown by a person or by the wind.
- A dunk where the dunker swings his arm in a circular motion before throwing the ball through the hoop.
- A pitch where the pitcher swings his arm in a circular motion before throwing the ball.
- A guitar move where the strumming hand mimics a turning windmill.
- A breakdancing move in which the dancer rolls their torso continuously in a circular path on the floor, across the upper chest, shoulders and back, while twirling the legs in a V shape in the air.
- Any of various muscle exercises in which a large deal of the body makes a great circle, typically one where a kettlebell is raised overhead and the torso is rotated to the other side with the hand reaching its foot (hitting the core, glutes, hamstrings, trapezius, rhomboids, deltoids and rotator cuffs) but sometimes even a windshield wiper.
- Any of various large papilionid butterflies of the genus Byasa, the wings of which resemble the vanes of a windmill.
- The false shower.
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(figuratively) An imaginary enemy, but presented as real.
to fight windmills
- The act of windmilling.
- A tactic in which a piece repeatedly gains material, while simultaneously creating an inescapable series of alternating direct and discovered checks.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| windmills | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
throw one's hat over the windmill · throw one's cap over the windmill · cap over the windmill · windmill pink · windmill grass · windmill graph · windmills in one's head · tilt at windmills · giddy as a windmill · windmill palm · pink windmills · mistake windmills for giants · windmill restart · hat over the windmill · fight windmills
Synonyms
seesaw · hand windmill · pinwheel · straw man · Zwickmühle
Translations (125)
kl aserorterivik anorisaatilik (machine) · pl wiatrak (machine) · vo vienamülöp (structure) · ga muileann gaoithe (machine) · mi pūrere kapo hau (child's toy) · it mulino a vento (machine) · de Windmühle (machine) · pl wiatraczek (child's toy) · br milin-avel (machine) · alt салкынла иштеер теермен (machine) · fi tuulimylly (metaphorical: imaginary enemy) · it mulino a vento (structure) · fr moulin à vent (machine) · hy հողմաղաց (machine) · ja 風車奏法 (guitar move) · gd muileann-gaoithe (structure) · nl windmolen (structure) · pdt Wintmäl (machine) · is vindmylla (structure) · bg вятърна мелница (structure) · ar طاحونة هوائية (machine) · mk вете́рница (structure) · hu szélmalom (structure) · nb vindmølle (structure) · nl windmolen (machine) · eu haize-errota (machine) · no vindmølle (child's toy) · gl muíño (machine) · ru ветряна́я ме́льница (structure) · is vindmylla (machine) · ro moară de vânt (structure) · hy քամաղաց (structure) · ms kincir angin (machine) · eo ventmuelejo (machine) · pt moinho de vento (machine) · ka ქარის წისქვილი (structure) · nn vindmølle (machine) · tl gilingang-hangin (machine) · hi पवनचक्की (machine) · mk вете́рница (child's toy) · it girandola (child's toy) · uk вітря́к (machine) · pl wiatrak (structure) · af windmeul (machine) · bg въображаем противник (metaphorical: imaginary enemy) · kjh чил тербені (machine) · nn vindmølle (structure) · kk жел диірмені (machine) · mi pekapeka (child's toy) · de Windrad (child's toy) · vo vienamül (machine) · es molino de viento (machine) · crj ᑳᒌᓂᐧᑳᓈᔥᑎᐦᒡ (machine) · pt cata-vento (child's toy) · mr पवनचक्की (machine) · hy հողմաղաց (structure) · haw wili makani (machine) · es molino de viento (structure) · es molinillo de viento (child's toy) · io ventomuelilo (machine) · nl windmolentje (child's toy) · bg вятърна мелница (machine) · da vindmølle (structure) · sh vetrenjača (machine) · id kincir angin (machine) · nn vindmylne (structure) · nn vindmylne (machine) · sv vindmölla (machine) · ja 風車 (machine) · ru верту́шка (child's toy) · bg въртележка (child's toy) · ja 風車小屋 (structure) · fa آسیای بادی (machine) · cmn 風車 /风车 (machine) · mk вете́рница (machine) · ja 風車 (child's toy) · fi tuulimylly (guitar move) · pt moinho de vento (structure) · crl ᒌᓂᐧᑳᓈᔮᔥᑎᐦᑖᑭᓐ (structure) · uk вітря́к (structure) · de Windmühle (structure) · ko 풍차 (machine) · da vindmølle (machine) · ca molí de vent (structure) · he טַחֲנַת רוּחַ (machine) · sh vetrenjača (child's toy) · gd muileann-gaoithe (machine) · el ανεμόμυλος (structure) · af windmeule (machine) · fi tuulimylly (machine) · fy wynmûne (machine) · be вятра́к (machine) · sv väderkvarn (machine) · ca molí de vent (machine) · vi cối xay gió (machine) · he טַחֲנַת רוּחַ (structure) · cy melin wynt (machine) · kk желдиірмен (machine) · fi tuulimylly (basketball: type of dunk) · crl ᒌᓂᐧᑳᓈᔮᔥᑎᐦᑖᑭᓐ (machine) · eo ventmuelejo (structure) · cs větrný mlýn (machine) · nds-de Windmöhl (machine) · nb vindmølle (machine) · fi tuulimylly (structure) · hy քամաղաց (machine) · ru ветряна́я ме́льница (machine) · cs větrný mlýn (structure) · fi tuulihyrrä (child's toy) · gl muíño de vento (structure) · sh vetrenjača (structure) · br milin-avel (structure) · ro moară de vânt (machine) · id kincir angin (child's toy) · tl mulino (machine) · mi pūrere kapo hau (machine) · sv mölla (machine) · el ανεμόμυλος (machine) · tl mulino (structure) · fr moulin à vent (structure) · fi tuulimylly (breakdancing move) · ka ქარის წისქვილი (machine) · alt јел теермен (machine) · ja ウインドミル (basketball: type of dunk) · crj ᑳᒌᓂᐧᑳᓈᔥᑎᐦᒡ (structure)