Wind the Air and Wind the Turning Are Unrelated
Wind is moving air. A separate wind, said differently, means to turn or coil.
Wind rhyming with *pinned* is moving air; wind rhyming with *find* means to turn or coil. They are separate words that happen to share a spelling. The air is Old English *wind*, related to Latin *ventus*. The turning is Old English *windan*, related to *wander* and *wend*. Wind is caused by pressure differences: air moves from high pressure to low, deflected by the earth's rotation, which is why weather systems spin in opposite directions in the two hemispheres.
- Moving air. *A strong wind.*
- To coil. *Winding a clock.*
- Breath. *Out of wind.*
- Windy. *A windy day.*
- Old English — *wind* and *windan*. *Two sources.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | wind | The wind. |
| Verb | wind | Winding. |
| Past | wound | Wound. |
| Adjective | windy | Windy. |
| Latin | ventus | Wind. |
- The wind rose overnight.Weather.
- Wind the clock.Turning.
- Knocked the wind out of him.Breath.
What makes wind blow
- Uneven heating creates areas of high and low pressure
- Air moves from high pressure toward low
- The earth's rotation deflects it, called the Coriolis effect
- Systems spin clockwise in the north, anticlockwise in the south
- Friction near the ground slows and turns the flow further
The air is Old English *wind*, related to Latin *ventus*. The verb is Old English *windan*, to turn.
Are the two winds related?
No. The moving air and the verb meaning to coil come from separate Old English words.
Why do weather systems spin differently in each hemisphere?
Because the earth's rotation deflects moving air in opposite directions north and south of the equator.