wing

See also: Wing

English
A laughing gull with its wings extended in the gull wing profile
A mute swan spreads its wings.
The wing of a landing BMI Airbus A319-100. The slats at its leading edge and the flaps at its trailing edge are extended.
The winged stem of Cirsium vulgare.
A building with two wings

Etymology

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 *wēingaz, *wēingô, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂weh₁- (“to blow”), thus related to wind. Cognate with Danish vinge (“wing”), Swedish vinge (“wing”), Icelandic vængur (“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.

Pronunciation
  • (General American) enPR: wēng; IPA(key): /wi(ː)ŋ/
    • Audio (US)(file)
  • (Received Pronunciation) enPR: wĭng; IPA(key): /wɪŋ/
    • Audio(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɪŋ, -iŋ

Noun

wing (plural wings)

  1. An appendage of an animal's (bird, bat, insect) body that enables it to fly.
    The bird was flapping its wings
  2. A fin at the side of a ray or similar fish.
  3. (slang) Human arm.
  4. (aviation) Part of an aircraft that produces the lift for rising into the air.
    I took my seat on the plane, overlooking the wing.
  5. One of the large pectoral fins of a flying fish.
  6. One of the broad, thin, anterior lobes of the foot of a pteropod, used as an organ in swimming.
  7. (botany) Any membranaceous expansion, such as that along the sides of certain stems, or of a fruit of the kind called samara.
  8. (botany) Either of the two side petals of a papilionaceous flower.
  9. A side shoot of a tree or plant; a branch growing up by the side of another.
  10. Passage by flying; flight.
    to take wing
  11. Limb or instrument of flight; means of flight or of rapid motion.
  12. A part of something that is lesser in size than the main body, such as an extension from the main building.
    the west wing of the hospital
    the wings of a corkscrew
    • 2017, Laura Bates, Girl Up, page 8:
      It's a bit annoying but (like sanitary pads with wings) it's worth it if you want to stay extra secure.
  13. One of the longer sides of crownworks or hornworks in fortification.
  14. 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.
  15. A protruding piece of material on a menstrual pad to hold it in place and prevent leakage.
  16. An ornament worn on the shoulder; a small epaulet or shoulder knot.
  17. A cosmetic effect where eyeliner curves outward and ends at a point.
  18. A faction of a political movement. Usually implies a position apart from the mainstream center position.
  19. An organizational grouping in a military aviation service:
    1. (British) A unit of command consisting of two or more squadrons and itself being a sub-unit of a group or station.
    2. (US) A larger formation of two or more groups, which in turn control two or more squadrons.
  20. (British) A panel of a car which encloses the wheel area, especially the front wheels.
  21. (nautical) A platform on either side of the bridge of a vessel, normally found in pairs.
  22. (nautical) 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.
    • 1864, William M. Brady, The Kedge-anchor:
      their ends may rest a little below the orlop-wing gratings
  23. (sports) 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.
  24. (sports) A player occupying such a position, also called a winger
    • 2011 September 2, “Wales 2-1 Montenegro”, in BBC‎:
      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.
  25. (typography, informal, rare) A háček.
    • 1985, David Grambs, Literary Companion Dictionary, page 378:
      ˇ wing, wedge, hǎcek, inverted circumflex (Karel Čapek)
  26. (theater) One of the unseen areas on the side of the stage in a theatre.
  27. (in the plural) The insignia of a qualified pilot or aircrew member.
    • 2004, Chris Wallace, Character: Profiles in Presidential Courage:
      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."
  28. A portable shelter consisting of a fabric roof on a frame, like a tent without sides.
  29. 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.

Alternative forms

Synonyms

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Translations
extension to a main body
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Verb

wing (third-person singular simple present wings, present participle winging, simple past and past participle winged or (nonstandard) wung)

  1. (transitive) To injure slightly (as with a gunshot), especially in the wing or arm.
  2. (intransitive) To fly.
    • 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, “Afterglow”, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC, page 168:
      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 scarlet flames athwart the pines.
  3. (transitive, of a building) To add a wing (extra part) to.
  4. (transitive) To act or speak extemporaneously; to improvise; to wing it.
    I lost all my notes I'd made, so was partially winging the meeting.
  5. (transitive) To throw.
  6. (transitive) To furnish with wings.
  7. (transitive) To transport with, or as if with, wings; to bear in flight, or speedily.
  8. (transitive) To traverse by flying.

Translations
to fly — see fly
to throw — see throw

Anagrams

Chinese

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “Onomatopoeic?”)

Pronunciation

Adjective

wing

  1. (Hong Kong Cantonese, slang, of person) intoxicated; tipsy

Synonyms

Middle English

Noun

wing

  1. Alternative form of winge

Tok Pisin

Etymology

From English wing.

Noun

wing

  1. wing

Vilamovian

Pronunciation
  • Audio(file)

Adjective

wing

  1. little (by amount)

Yola

Etymology

From Middle English winge, wenge, from Old Norse vængr.

Pronunciation

Noun

wing

  1. (figurative) cross
    • 1867, GLOSSARY OF THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY:
      Vour-wing leet.
      Four cross roads.

References
  • Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828) William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 78
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