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windmill

wind·mill

UK/ˈwɪn(d).mɪl/ US/ˈwɪˌndmɪl/ uncommon slang

noun

1.

a mill that is powered by the wind

2.

generator that extracts usable energy from winds

Synonyms

Origin

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.

Phrases

  • cap over the windmill
  • fight windmills
  • giddy as a windmill
  • hat over the windmill
  • mistake windmills for giants
  • pink windmills
  • throw one's cap over the windmill
  • throw one's hat over the windmill
  • wind turbine

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Part of

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.