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winding

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winding¹

  • /ˈwɪndɪŋ/ US, UK

Rhymes with -ɪndɪŋ

Where it comes from

The noun is derived from Middle English winding, windinge, wyndynge (“act of exposing something to the wind, airing, ventilating; act of winnowing (?)”), from winden, wynden (“to expose (something) to the air or wind, ventilate; to cause (someone) to be out of breath; to winnow (wheat); of an animal: to catch the scent of (someone or something)”) + -ing, -inge (suffix forming gerund nouns, and the present participle forms of verbs).

The adjective is derived from the verb.

The English word is analysable as wind (“to blow air through (a wind instrument or horn) to make a sound; to cause (someone) to become breathless; to winnow (food grain), etc.”) + -ing (suffix forming present participial adjectives and verbs, and nouns denoting an action or the embodiment of an action).

noun windings

  1. attributive, countable, uncountable The act of winnowing (“subjecting food grain to a current of air to separate the grain from the chaff”).
  2. countable, uncountable The act of blowing air through a wind instrument or (chiefly) a horn to make a sound. Novv their opinions of the end of the vvorld, of Paradiſe, and of hell; exceede the vanity of dreames, and all old vviues fables. They ſay, that at the vvinding of a horne not only all fleſh ſhall die, but the Angels themſelues: & that the earth vvith earthquakes ſhall be kneaded together like a lum

adjective more winding · most winding

  1. not comparable, usually Causing one to be breathless or out of breath.
  2. not comparable, usually Of a horn or wind instrument: blown to make a sound.

verb

  1. gerund, participle, present present participle and gerund of wind

winding²

  • /ˈwaɪndɪŋ/ US, UK

Rhymes with -aɪndɪŋ

Where it comes from

The noun is derived from Middle English winding, windinge, wyndynge (“directional change, curve, turn; bend of the leg at the knee; meandering course of a river; act of turning and twisting; twisting of things (especially thread) together; wrapping of a cloth around something; wattling of a structure; wattle(s); ornamentation with interwoven patterns; hoisting of something”) [and other forms], and then partly:

* from winden, wynden (“to go, move; to move forcefully or suddenly; to direct, guide, lead; to go along a meandering or twisting course; to move in a circular pattern, revolve, turn; to move restlessly, toss and turn; to wriggle free; to move with a turning or twisting motion, bend, turn, twist; to form or mould (something) in one’s hands; to mix together; to cover; to clothe, dress; to wrap (a baby, a corpse, etc.); to encircle, surround; to bind; to interlace; to winch; (figurative) to conceal, disguise; to embroil, involve”) + -ing, -inge (suffix forming gerund nouns, and the present participle forms of verbs).; and

* from Old English windung (“woven object”), from windan (“to twist, wind; to circle, curl, eddy, spiral”) (from Proto-Germanic *windaną (“to wind; to wrap”), from Proto-Indo-European *wendʰ- (“to turn; to wind”)) + -ung (suffix forming nouns denoting a verbal action or something involved in a verbal action).

The adjective is derived from the verb.

The English word is analysable as wind (“to turn coils of (a cord, etc.) around something; to encircle, enfold, entwist, wrap; to travel in a way that is not straight”) + -ing (suffix forming present participial adjectives and verbs, and nouns denoting an action or the embodiment of an action).

noun windings

  1. countable, uncountable The act of twisting something, or coiling or wrapping something around another thing. Then there was […] a vast deal of screwing and tightening, and winding and tuning, during which Mrs. Briggs expatiated to those near her on the immense difficulty of playing a guitar, and hinted at the wondrous proficiency of her daughters in that mystic art.
  2. countable, especially, in plural, uncountable A curving, sinuous, or twisting movement; twists and turns. [T]here vvill be hurly burly, like as ye ſee in a man vvhen he dieth; vvhat deformity appeareth, hovv he ſtretcheth out all his members, vvhat a vvinding is there, ſo that all his body cometh out of frame?
  3. countable, especially, in plural, uncountable A curving, sinuous, or twisting form. Berenice ſtandeth upon the utmoſt vvinding and nouke of Syrtis, called ſometime the cittie of the above-named Heſperides, according to the vvandering tales of Greece.
  4. countable, uncountable Chiefly followed by up: the act of tightening the spring of a clockwork or other mechanism. Is there a Tongue, like Delia’s o’er her cup, / That runs for Ages vvithout vvinding-up?
  5. countable, uncountable Sometimes followed by up: the act of hoisting something using a winch or a similar device.
  6. countable, figuratively, in plural, uncountable Twists and turns in an occurrence, in thinking, or some other thing; also, moral crookedness; craftiness, shiftiness. For that vvhich he hath novv attained vvith the begging of ſome ſmall peeces of ſiluer, a temporall happins, & preſent hearts eaſe, I cannot compaſſe vvith all my carefull vvindings, & running in & out.
  7. UK, countable, uncountable The act or process of turning a boat or ship in a certain direction.
  8. countable, obsolete, uncountable A variation in a tune. Among the windings of the violins / And the ariettes / Of cracked cornets / Inside my brain a dull tom-tom begins / Absurdly hammering a prelude of its own, / Capricious monotone / That is at least one definite "false note."
  9. countable, uncountable Something wound around another thing. For knovv by lot from Jove I am the povvr / Of this fair VVood, and live in Oak'n bovvr, / To nurſe the Saplings tall, and curl the grove / VVith ringlets quaint, and vvanton vvindings vvove.
  10. countable, uncountable A length of wire wound around the armature of an electric motor or the core of an electrical transformer.
  11. countable, uncountable Synonym of lapping (“lengths of fine silk, metal wire, or whalebone wrapped tightly around the stick of the bow of a string instrument adjacent to the leather part of the bow grip at the heel”).

    Similar: lapping

  12. countable, obsolete, uncountable A decorative object, design, or other thing with curves or twists.
  13. countable, obsolete, uncountable Synonym of withe or withy (“a flexible, slender shoot or twig, especially when used as a band or for binding”); also, all the withies used to make or repair a wall, or the process of using withies in this manner. As for the manner of making vvalls, by davvbing vvindings and hurdles vvith mud and clay, also of rearing them othervvhiles vvith unbaked bricke; vvho is ſo ignorant that he knovveth it not?

    Similar: withe, withy

adjective more winding · most winding

  1. Moving in a sinuous or twisting manner. [H]e [Satan] vvindes himſelfe into this vvinding Beaſt, diſpoſing the Serpents tongue to ſpeake to the vvoman [Eve] […]
  2. Sinuous, turning, or twisting in form. The thinges that hinder a man vvhich loketh at his marke, to ſhoote ſtreight, be theſe: […] a payre of windinge prickes, and many other thinges mo, which you ſhall marke yourſelfe, and as ye knovv them, ſo learne to amende them.
  3. Chiefly of a staircase: helical, spiral. In yᵉ Cour aux Thuilleries is a princely fabriq; the winding geometrical stone stayres, with the cupola, I take to be as bold and noble a piece of architecture as any in Europ of the kind.
  4. figuratively Of speech, writing, etc.: not direct or to the point; rambling, roundabout. I will not heare thee, wife; / The winding laborinth of thy straunge discourse / Will nere haue end.

    Similar: circuitous, circumlocutionary, indirect, meandering, tortuous

  5. obsolete Flexible, pliant. To theſe blemiſhes and ſtaines in Court, vvere adjoyned the enormious tranſgreſſions of diſcipline in campe, vvhen the ſouldiour in ſtead of a joyfull ſhout, ſtudied to ſing vvanton ſonnets: neither had the armed man, as before time, a ſtone to couch himſelfe upon, but feathers and delicat vvinding
  6. figuratively, obsolete Morally crooked; crafty, shifty. I care not though men call me impudent, / Smooth-tongu'd, audacious, petulant, abhominable, / Forger of vvords and lie, contentious Barretour, / Old, vvinding, bragging, teſty, crafty fox.

verb

  1. gerund, participle, present present participle and gerund of wind

Winding³

Where it comes from

Borrowed from Danish Winding.

proper noun Windings

  1. A surname from Danish.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: twist, crooked, twisty, meandering, tortuous, wandering, rambling, indirect, twisting, coil, roll, oscillating, spool, braiding, closing, rolling

Translations

Every language

noun something wound around another thing

Portuguêsenrolado, enrolada
DeutschWicklung
Русскийобмо́тка obmótka

noun act of twisting something, or coiling or wrapping something around another thing

DeutschWicklung
Русскиймо́тка mótka, нама́тывание namátyvanije, намо́тка namótka, обмо́тка obmótka

noun length of wire wound around the armature of an electric motor or the core of an electrical transformer

Portuguêsbobina, enrolamento
DeutschWicklung
Italianoavvolgimento
Русскийобмо́тка obmótka

adj sinuous, turning, or twisting in form

日本語曲がりくねっている magarikunette iru
中文曲折 qūzhé
Portuguêssinuoso, tortuoso
Françaissinueux, tortueux
Deutschbiegend, gewunden, schlängelnd
Русскийизви́листый izvílistyj, петля́ющий petljájuščij, вью́щийся vʹjúščijsja

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Cite this
MLA

"winding." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/winding. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

winding. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/winding

Chicago

"winding." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/winding.

BibTeX
@misc{winding_2026,
  title = {winding},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/winding},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}