Pa. t. and pple. winded. Forms: 5 wynde, 6–8 winde, 6– wind. Pa. t. and pple. 6– winded; 8–9 wound (see sense 3). [f. WIND sb.1 In ordinary prose use the pronunciation is (wind) except in sense 3, where it is (wəind).]
I. From WIND sb.1 I.
1. trans. To get the wind of (WIND sb.1 4); to perceive (an animal, a person or thing) by the scent conveyed by the wind.
† Occas. with obj. clause and absol. In quot. 1607, to perceive (a sound) conveyed by the wind, to hear.
c. 1410. Master of Game (MS. Digby 182), vi. Þe wolfe is so maliciouse, when he seeth hir comme withoute fedynge, þat he goth wynde at hir musel. And if he wynde þere she hath brought any thynge, he … biteth her. Ibid. Somme men seith þat she bateth … hir heede, because þat the wolfe shulde wynde nothyng of hir fedynge whan she cometh agayne.
1580. Lyly, Euphues (Arb.), 394. You might … haue tourned the Hare you winded, and caught the game you coursed.
1583. Golding, Calvin on Deut. xxiii. 6. 807/1. As a swyne when he hath once winded his meat, runnes on to swash himself in it.
1601. Holland, Pliny, XII. xxii. I. 375. A man may wind the sent of it presently a great way off.
1602. 2nd Pt. Return fr. Parnass., IV. ii. Any sensible snout may winde M. Amoretto and his Pomander.
1607. Topsell, Four-f. Beasts, 584. The greedy beast winding the voice of the Dogge.
1644. Digby, Nat. Bodies, xxvii. § 7. 248. He could att a great distance wind by his nose, where wholesome fruites or rootes did grow.
1726. Pope, Odyss., XVII. 385. His scent how true, To winde the vapour in the tainted dew.
1850. R. G. Cumming, Hunter’s Life S. Afr., xxii. II. 126. Soon after fourteen buffaloes came; but … they got an alarm…. They had winded two lions.
1880. W. Carnegie, Pract. Trap., 32. A good terrier, one which will wind, and, if necessary, fight a fox.
1892. Field, 7 May, 695/1. Deuce dropped to birds that got up as we entered, and Dulcimer ran into a pair that she just winded before they rose.
b. intr. Of an animal: To sniff in order to scent or on scenting something.
c. 1410. [see above].
1607. Topsell, Four-f. Beasts, 125. When a hart pricketh vp his eares he windeth sharpe.
1842. J. W. Carleton, Sporting Sk. Bk., 29. Palatine … suddenly raised his head, winded high in the air, sprung over the bushes, winded again, then leaped again.
c. fig. (trans.) To perceive by some subtle indication; to get wind of, to smell or nose out.
1583. Melbancke, Philotimus, Q iij. Philotimus winding Aurelia to haue munched on this carrion … trotted to her lodging once or twise, where she would not be sene.
1596. Spenser, F. Q., V. ii. 25. Talus, that could like a limehound winde her.
1611. L. Barry, Ram Alley, II. i. No nose to smell, and winde out all your tricks.
1640. C. Harvey, Synagogue, Search, ii. My senses are too weake to wind him.
a. 1641. Finett, Observ. (1656), 13. I winding the cause to be some new buz, gotten into his Braine.
1779–81. Johnson, L. P., Pope, Wks. IV. 51. A cat, hunted for his musk, is, according to Pope’s account, but the emblem of a wit winded by booksellers.
1829. Landor, Imag. Conv., Ser. II. I. Chaucer, Boccaccio, & Petrarca, 226. I never knew a priest at a fault, whatever he winded.
II. From WIND sb.1 II.
2. trans. To expose to the wind or air; to dry by such exposure, to air.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 529/1. Wyyndyd, ventilatus, vel vento et aure expositus.
1585. Higins, Junius’ Nomencl., 385/2. Offringitur ager,… the land is winded, fallowed, or twise laboured ouer.
1872. Smyth, Mining Stat., 64. As Mr. Spear says, ‘he leaves the air to wind the ground the other 16 hours.’
b. intr. To ‘take wind,’ become tainted by exposure to air; trans. to taint by such exposure. dial.
1842. J. Aiton, Dom. Econ. (1857), 222. A handful of salt shaken on the top of it, which keeps it from turning mouldy or winding.
1844. H. Stephens, Bk. Farm, III. 905. If the least cell of air be left in its mass…. it will wind the butter.
3. trans. To sound by forcing the breath through, to blow (a wind-instrument, esp. a horn).
In this sense often with pa. t. and pple. wound, by confusion with WIND v.1, perh. due to vague suggestion from the curved form of a horn or bugle.
1586. [? J. Case], Praise Mus., i. 17. Minerua was delighted with her pipe, and vsed euen in the assemblie of the gods very much to winde it.
1602. Marston, Antonio’s Rev., I. iii. Boy, winde thy cornet.
1706. Swift, To Earl of Peterborough, 16. The Post-boy winds his Horn.
1746. Collins, Ode Evening, 11. Where the Beetle winds His small but sullen Horn.
1789. G. Keate, Pelew Isl., 33. The boatswain called all hands out to work by winding his pipe.
1790. Pennant, London, 243. Hunters who wound their horns.
1810. Scott, Lady of L., I. xvii. But scarce again his horn he wound. Ibid. (1814), Ld. of Isles, IV. xviii. That blast was winded by the King!
1859. Tennyson, Pelleas & Ettarre, 371. Gawain … raised a bugle hanging from his neck, And winded it. Ibid. (1859), Elaine, 169. Thither he made and wound the gateway horn.
b. To blow (a blast, call or note) on a horn, etc.
1599. Shaks., Much Ado, I. i. 243. But that I will haue a rechate winded in my forehead.
1735. Somerville, Chase, II. 292. With Cheeks full-blown they wind Her solemn Dirge.
1769. Falconer, Dict. Marine (1776), Winding a Call, the act of blowing or piping upon a boatswain’s whistle.
1888. Stevenson, Black Arrow, V. vi. He raised a little tucket to his mouth and wound a rousing call.
c. absol. or intr. To blow a blast on a wind-instrument.
1600. Holland, Livy, II. lxiv. 86. Quintius … caused certaine cornetiers … to wind and sound before the trench.
d. trans. To supply (an organ-pipe) with wind at a particular pressure.
1879. Organ Voicing, 28. They must be winded to match those below in strength.
† 4. trans. To blow (a fire, etc.). Obs. rare.
1605. Timme, Quersit., II. vii. The fire … the which he had spread abroad, and winded or bellowsed in vaine.
a. 1660. Contemp. Hist. Irel. (Ir. Archæol. Soc.), I. 69. The freshe lime shaken and winded, filled the place with its smoke.
5. To deprive of ‘wind’ or breath, put out of breath, ‘blow,’ ‘puff.’
1811. Sporting Mag., XXXVII. 18. Parkes was very faint, and apparently quite winded.
1842. Lover, Handy Andy, iii. ‘Two to one on Dick—he’s closing.’ ‘Done! Andy will wind him yet.’
1857. G. A. Lawrence, Guy Livingstone, ii. 9. A country … where there was no hill steep enough to wind a horse in good condition.
1888. ‘R. Boldrewood,’ Robbery under Arms, xx. He can’t hardly keep from barking till he’s hoarse, and rushing through and over everything till he’s winded and done up.
