take the wind out of ones sails


1 [n. wind, Literary wahynd; v. wind]
a gale; storm; hurricane.
wind instruments collectively.
the winds, the members of an orchestra or band who play the wind instruments.
breath or breathing: to catch one's wind.
the power of breathing freely, as during continued exertion.
any influential force or trend: strong winds of public opinion.
a hint or intimation: to catch wind of a stock split.
air carrying an animal's odor or scent.
empty talk; mere words.
vanity; conceitedness.
gas generated in the stomach and intestines.
Boxing Slang. the pit of the stomach where a blow may cause a temporary shortness of breath; solar plexus.
any direction of the compass.
a state of unconcern, recklessness, or abandon: to throw all caution to the winds.
verb (used with object)
to expose to wind or air.
to follow by the scent.
to make short of wind or breath, as by vigorous exercise.
to let recover breath, as by resting after exertion.
verb (used without object)
to catch the scent or odor of game.
between wind and water,
(of a ship) at or near the water line.
how the wind blows/lies, what the tendency or probability is: Try to find out how the wind blows. Also, which way the wind blows.
in the teeth of the wind, sailing directly into the wind; against the wind. Also, in the eye of the wind, in the wind's eye.
in the wind, about to occur; imminent; impending: There's good news in the wind.
off the wind,
away from the wind; with the wind at one's back.
(of a sailing vessel) headed into the wind with sails shaking or aback.
on the wind, as close as possible to the wind. Also, on a wind.
sail close to the wind,
Also, sail close on a wind. to sail as nearly as possible in the direction from which the wind is blowing.
to practice economy in the management of one's affairs.
to verge on a breach of propriety or decency.
to escape (punishment, detection, etc.) by a narrow margin; take a risk.
take the wind out of one's sails, to surprise someone, especially with unpleasant news; stun; shock; flabbergast: She took the wind out of his sails when she announced she was marrying someone else.

before 900; Middle English (noun), Old English; cognate with Dutch, German Wind, Old Norse vindr, Gothic winds, Latin ventus

1. Wind, air, zephyr, breeze, blast, gust refer to a quantity of air set in motion naturally. Wind applies to any such air in motion, blowing with whatever degree of gentleness or violence. Air usually poetical, applies to a very gentle motion of the air. Zephyr also poetical, refers to an air characterized by its soft, mild quality. A breeze is usually a cool, light wind. Blast and gust apply to quick, forceful winds of short duration; blast implies a violent rush of air, often a cold one, whereas a gust is little more than a flurry. 16. flatulence.
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World English Dictionary
wind1 (wɪnd)
1.  See also Beaufort scale a current of air, sometimes of considerable force, moving generally horizontally from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressureRelated: aeolian
2.  poetic chiefly the direction from which a wind blows, usually a cardinal point of the compass
3.  air artificially moved, as by a fan, pump, etc
4.  any sweeping and destructive force
5.  a trend, tendency, or force: the winds of revolution
6.  informal a hint; suggestion: we got wind that you were coming
7.  something deemed insubstantial: his talk was all wind
8.  breath, as used in respiration or talk: you're just wasting wind
9.  See also second wind (often used in sports) the power to breathe normally: his wind is weak
10.  music
 a.  a wind instrument or wind instruments considered collectively
 b.  (often plural) the musicians who play wind instruments in an orchestra
 c.  (modifier) of, relating to, or composed of wind instruments: a wind ensemble
11.  an informal name for flatus
12.  the air on which the scent of an animal is carried to hounds or on which the scent of a hunter is carried to his quarry
13.  between wind and water
 a.  the part of a vessel's hull below the water line that is exposed by rolling or by wave action
 b.  any point particularly susceptible to attack or injury
14.  break wind to release intestinal gas through the anus
15.  informal get the wind up, have the wind up to become frightened
16.  have in the wind to be in the act of following (quarry) by scent
17.  how the wind blows, how the wind lies, which way the wind blows, which way the wind lies what appears probable
18.  in the wind about to happen
19.  informal three sheets in the wind intoxicated; drunk
20.  in the teeth of the wind, in the eye of the wind directly into the wind
21.  into the wind against the wind or upwind
22.  nautical off the wind away from the direction from which the wind is blowing
23.  nautical on the wind as near as possible to the direction from which the wind is blowing
24.  informal put the wind up to frighten or alarm
25.  informal (Brit) raise the wind to obtain the necessary funds
26.  sail close to the wind, sail near to the wind
 a.  to come near the limits of danger or indecency
 b.  to live frugally or manage one's affairs economically
27.  take the wind out of someone's sails to destroy someone's advantage; disconcert or deflate
28.  to cause (someone) to be short of breath: the blow winded him
29.  a.  to detect the scent of
 b.  to pursue (quarry) by following its scent
30.  to cause (a baby) to bring up wind after feeding by patting or rubbing on the back
31.  to expose to air, as in drying, ventilating, etc
Related: aeolian
[Old English wind; related to Old High German wint, Old Norse vindr, Gothic winds, Latin ventus]

wind2 (waɪnd)
vb (often foll by around, about, or upon) (often foll by up) (foll by off) , winds, winding, wound
1.  to turn or coil (string, cotton, etc) around some object or point or (of string, etc) to be turned etc, around some object or point: he wound a scarf around his head
2.  (tr) to twine, cover, or wreathe by or as if by coiling, wrapping, etc; encircle: we wound the body in a shroud
3.  to tighten the spring of (a clockwork mechanism)
4.  to remove by uncoiling or unwinding
5.  (usually intr) to move or cause to move in a sinuous, spiral, or circular course: the river winds through the hills
6.  (tr) to introduce indirectly or deviously: he is winding his own opinions into the report
7.  (tr) to cause to twist or revolve: he wound the handle
8.  (tr; usually foll by up or down) to move by cranking: please wind up the window
9.  (tr) to haul, lift, or hoist (a weight, etc) by means of a wind or windlass
10.  (intr) (of a board, etc) to be warped or twisted
11.  archaic (intr) to proceed deviously or indirectly
12.  the act of winding or state of being wound
13.  a single turn, bend, etc: a wind in the river
14.  Also called: winding a twist in a board or plank
[Old English windan; related to Old Norse vinda, Old High German wintan (German winden)]

wind3 (waɪnd)
vb , winds, winding, winded, wound
poetic (tr) to blow (a note or signal) on (a horn, bugle, etc)
[C16: special use of wind1]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Word Origin & History

"air in motion," O.E. wind, from P.Gmc. *wendas (cf. O.S., O.Fris., Du. wind, O.N. vindr, O.H.G. wind, Ger. Wind, Goth. winds), from PIE *we-nt-o- "blowing," from base *we- "to blow" (cf. Skt. va-, Gk. aemi-, Goth. waian, O.E. wawan, O.H.G. wajan, Ger. wehen, O.C.S. vejati "to blow;" Skt. vatah, Avestan
vata-, Hittite huwantis, L. ventus, O.C.S. vetru, Lith. vejas "wind;" Lith. vetra "tempest, storm;" O.Ir. feth "air;" Welsh gwynt, Bret. gwent "wind"). Normal pronunciation evolution made this word rhyme with kind and rind (Donne rhymes it with mind), but shifted to a short vowel 18c., probably from influence of windy, where the short vowel is natural. A sad loss for poets, who now must rhyme it only with sinned and a handful of weak words. Symbolic of emptiness and vanity since c.1290.
"I have forgot much, Cynara! gone with the wind." [Ernest Dowson, 1896]
To get wind of "receive information about" is recorded from 1809, perhaps from Fr. avoir le vent de. Wind-chill index is recorded from 1939. The verb meaning "tire, put out of breath" is attested from 1811

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
wind  [%PREMIUM_LINK%]     (wĭnd)  Pronunciation Key 

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