wing
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wing¹
- /wɪŋ/ US, UK
- /ˈwɪŋɡ/ Midlands, Northern England
Rhymes with -ɪŋ
Where it comes from
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.
noun wings · weng · whing · wyng
- An appendage of an animal's (bird, bat, insect) body that enables it to fly. The bird was flapping its wings
- A fin at the side of a ray or similar fish.
- Human arm.
- Part of an aircraft that produces the lift for rising into the air. I took my seat on the plane, overlooking the wing.
- One of the large pectoral fins of a flying fish.
- One of the broad, thin, anterior lobes of the foot of a pteropod, used as an organ in swimming.
- 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.
- Either of the two side petals of a papilionaceous flower.
- A side shoot of a tree or plant; a branch growing up by the side of another.
- Passage by flying; flight. to take wing
- Limb or instrument of flight; means of flight or of rapid motion. Fiery expedition be my wing.
- 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
- Either of two similar parts of something. Before going any farther on a wild goose chase I should advise you to verify the admitted American influence in the affair as connectible with Rigby Lacksome […]. Until that point is settled both wings of your deductions are purely in the air.
- One of the longer sides of crownworks or hornworks in fortification.
- Ellipsis of prison wing, a cellblock; or prison or doing time by extension. They got bro-bro stuck on the wing, cah I picked up and bullet him
- 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. Fair ship, that from the Italian shore, Sailest the placid ocean-plains With my lost Arthur’s loved remains, Spread thy full wings, and waft him o’er.
- A protruding piece of material on a menstrual pad or diaper to hold it in place and prevent leakage. It's a bit annoying but (like sanitary pads with wings) it's worth it if you want to stay extra secure.
- An ornament worn on the shoulder; a small epaulet or shoulder knot.
- A cosmetic effect where eyeliner curves outward and ends at a point.
- A faction of a political movement. Usually implies a position apart from the mainstream center position.
- A unit of command consisting of two or more squadrons and itself being a sub-unit of a group or station.
- A larger formation of two or more groups, which in turn control two or more squadrons.
- A panel of a car which encloses the wheel area, especially the front wheels.
- A platform on either side of the bridge of a vessel, normally found in pairs.
- 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. their ends may rest a little below the orlop-wing gratings
- 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.
- A player occupying such a position; a winger. The Tottenham wing was causing havoc down the right and when he broke past the bemused Sasa Balic once again, Bellamy was millimetres from connecting with his cross as the Liverpool striker hurled himself at the ball.
- A háček. ˇ wing, wedge, hǎcek, inverted circumflex (Karel Čapek)
- One of the unseen areas on the side of the stage in a theatre. The performers crowded breathlessly in the wings.
- The insignia of a qualified pilot or aircrew member. Anyone and everyone with wings - press officers, operations specialists, even General Curtis LeMay, commander of the U.S. Air Force in Europe - was put on flight duty and took turns flying double shifts for "Operation Vittles."
- A portable shelter consisting of a fabric roof on a frame, like a tent without sides.
- 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.
- A group of plover. A wing of plover , followed by a pack of grouse , were too much for him - or rather , too much for me, for he left me to pursue them
verb wings · winging · winged · wung
- To injure slightly (as with a gunshot), especially in the wing or arm.
- To fly. 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 scarl
- To travel swiftly. 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.
- To add a wing (extra part) to.
- To act or speak extemporaneously; to improvise; to wing it. I lost all my notes I'd made, so was partially winging the meeting.
-
To throw.
Similar: fling, hurl, bung, cast, chuck, chunk, cook, dash, dump, feck, jerk, heave
- To furnish with wings.
- To transport with, or as if with, wings; to bear in flight, or speedily. Deep folly! yet that this could be— That I could wing my will with might To leap the grades of life and light, And flash at once, my friend, to thee: […]
- To traverse by flying.
Wing²
proper noun
- A surname.
- A large village and civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England, previously in Aylesbury Vale district (OS grid ref SP8822).
- A village and civil parish in Rutland, England (OS grid ref SK8903).
- An unincorporated community in Covington County, Alabama, United States.
- A small town in Burleigh County, North Dakota, United States.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: fly, fender, flank, extension, backstage, offstage, annex, annexe, fin, butterfly, paw, tail, limb, breast, arm, ala
Translations
Every language
noun part of an animal
| Español | [el] ala |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 날개 nalgae |
| 日本語 | 翼 tsubasa, 羽 hane |
| 中文 | 翅膀 chìbǎng, 膀子 bǎngzi |
| हिन्दी | पंख paṅkh, पर par, पक्ष pakṣ, पर्ण parṇ |
| Kiswahili | ubawa, bawa |
| Português | asa |
| Français | aile |
| Deutsch | Flügel, Schwinge |
| Italiano | ala |
| Ελληνικά | φτερό fteró, φτερούγα fteroúga, πτέρυγα ptéryga |
| Română | aripă |
| Русский | крыло́ kryló |
| Tiếng Việt | cánh |
| العربية | جَنَاح janāḥ, كَنَف kanaf |
| עברית | כָּנָף kanáf, אֶבְרָה evra |
noun air force unit
| 日本語 | 飛行隊 hikōtai |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 聯隊 /联队 liánduì |
| Deutsch | Tragfläche, Tragflügel |
| Italiano | squadra |
| Ελληνικά | πτέρυγα ptéryga |
| Русский | авиапо́лк aviapólk |
| العربية | جناح |
noun sports: position in many team sports
| Español | flanco, ala |
|---|---|
| Kiswahili | wingi |
| Português | ala |
| Français | aile |
| Русский | кра́йний напада́ющий krájnij napadájuščij |
noun sports: person in such position
| Español | alero, alera, ala, puntero, puntera |
|---|---|
| Français | ailier |
| Русский | кра́йний напада́ющий krájnij napadájuščij |
noun part of an aircraft
| Español | ala |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 날개 nalgae |
| 日本語 | 翼 tsubasa |
| 中文 | 機翼 /机翼 jīyì |
| Português | asa |
| Français | aile |
| Deutsch | Flügel |
| Italiano | ala |
| Ελληνικά | φτερό fteró |
| Română | aripă |
| Русский | крыло́ kryló |
| العربية | جَنَاح janāḥ |
noun extension to a main body
| Español | ala, sección, parte |
|---|---|
| Português | ala, asa |
| Français | aile |
| Deutsch | Flügel, Gebäudeflügel, Gebäudetrakt |
| Italiano | ala |
| Ελληνικά | πτέρυγα ptéryga |
| Русский | крыло́ kryló, фли́гель flígelʹ |
| العربية | جَنَاح janāḥ |
noun faction of a political movement
| Español | ala |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 翼 yoku |
| 中文 | 翼 yì |
| Kiswahili | mrengo |
| Português | ala |
| Français | aile |
| Deutsch | Flügel |
| Ελληνικά | πτέρυγα ptéryga |
| Română | aripă |
| Русский | крыло́ kryló |
| العربية | جَنَاح janāḥ |
noun panel of a car which encloses the wheel area
| 日本語 | フェンダー fendā |
|---|---|
| Français | aile |
| Deutsch | Kotflügel |
| Italiano | parafango |
| Ελληνικά | φτερό fteró |
| Русский | крыло́ kryló |
noun extension of a ship's bridge
| Italiano | ala |
|---|
verb to be extemporaneous
| Español | improvisar |
|---|---|
| Português | improvisar |
| Français | improviser |
| Deutsch | improvisieren |
verb to injure slightly
| Português | ferir (no braço) |
|---|---|
| Русский | ра́нить ránitʹ, подстрели́ть podstrelítʹ |
Talk about this word "wing." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/wing. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. wing. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/wing "wing." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/wing.Cite this
@misc{wing_2026,
title = {wing},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/wing},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}