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wind up

 [wahynd-uhp]   Origin

wind·up

   [wahynd-uhp]
noun
1.
the conclusion of any action, activity, etc.; the end or close.
2.
a final act or part.
3.
Baseball. the preparatory movements of the arm before pitching a ball. Compare stretch (def. 22).
4.
Informal. a mechanical object, as a toy or wristwatch, that is driven by a spring or similar mechanism that must be wound.
5.
an act or instance of winding up.
Also, wind-up.

Origin:
1565–75; noun use of verb phrase wind up

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Wind up is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
Dictionary.com Unabridged

wind

2   [wahynd] verb, wound or (Rare) wind·ed  [wahyn-did] ; wind·ing; noun
verb (used without object)
1.
to change direction; bend; turn; take a frequently bending course; meander: The river winds through the forest.
2.
to have a circular or spiral course or direction.
3.
to coil or twine about something: The ivy winds around the house.
4.
to proceed circuitously or indirectly.
5.
to undergo winding or winding up.
EXPAND
6.
to be twisted or warped, as a board.
COLLAPSE
verb (used with object)
7.
to encircle or wreathe, as with something twined, wrapped, or placed about.
8.
to roll or coil (thread, string, etc.) into a ball, on a spool, or the like (often followed by up).
9.
to remove or take off by unwinding (usually followed by off or from): She wound the thread off the bobbin.
10.
to twine, fold, wrap, or place about something.
11.
to make (a mechanism) operational by tightening the mainspring with a key (often followed by up): to wind a clock; to wind up a toy.
EXPAND
12.
to haul or hoist by means of a winch, windlass, or the like (often followed by up).
13.
to make (one's or its way) in a bending or curving course: The stream winds its way through the woods.
14.
to make (one's or its way) by indirect, stealthy, or devious procedure: to wind one's way into another's confidence.
COLLAPSE
noun
15.
the act of winding.
16.
a single turn, twist, or bend of something wound: If you give it another wind, you'll break the mainspring.
17.
a twist producing an uneven surface.
Verb phrases
18.
wind down,
a.
to lessen in intensity so as to bring or come to a gradual end: The war is winding down.
b.
to calm down; relax: He's too excited tonight to wind down and sleep.
19.
wind up,
a.
to bring to a state of great tension; excite (usually used in the past participle): He was all wound up before the game.
b.
to bring or come to an end; conclude: to wind up a sales campaign.
c.
to settle or arrange in order to conclude: to wind up one's affairs.
d.
to become ultimately: to wind up as a country schoolteacher.
e.
Baseball. (of a pitcher) to execute a windup.
Idiom
20.
out of wind, (of boards, plasterwork, etc.) flat and true.
Origin:
before 900; Middle English winden, Old English windan; cognate with Dutch, German winden, Old Norse vinda, Gothic -windan; akin to wend, wander
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To wind up
Collins
World English Dictionary
wind up (waɪnd)
 
—vb
1.  to bring to or reach a conclusion: he wound up the proceedings
2.  (tr) to tighten the spring of (a clockwork mechanism)
3.  informal (tr; usually passive) to make nervous, tense, etc; excite: he was all wound up before the big fight
4.  (tr) to roll (thread, etc) into a ball
5.  an informal word for liquidate
6.  informal (intr) to end up (in a specified state): you'll wind up without any teeth
7.  (tr; usually passive) to involve; entangle: they were wound up in three different scandals
8.  (tr) to hoist or haul up
9.  slang (Brit) (tr) to tease (someone)
 
—n
10.  the act of concluding
11.  the finish; end
12.  slang (Brit) an act or instance of teasing: she just thinks it's a big wind-up

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

wind
"move by turning and twisting," O.E. windan "to turn, twist, wind" (class III strong verb; past tense wand, pp. wunden), from P.Gmc. *wendanan (cf. O.S. windan, O.N. vinda, O.Fris. winda, Du. winden, O.H.G. wintan, Ger. winden, Goth. windan "to wind"), from PIE *wendh- "to turn, wind, weave" (cf. L.
EXPAND
viere "twist, plait, weave," vincire "bind," Lith. vyti "twist, wind"). Related to wend, which is its causative form, and to wander. Wind down "come to a conclusion" is recorded from 1952; wind up "come to a conclusion" is from 1825. Winding sheet "shroud of a corpse" is attested from c.1420.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Science Dictionary
wind   (wĭnd)  Pronunciation Key 


(click for larger image in new window)

A current of air, especially a natural one that moves along or parallel to the ground, moving from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure. Surface wind is measured by anemometers or its effect on objects, such as trees. The large-scale pattern of winds on Earth is governed primarily by differences in the net solar radiation received at the Earth's surface, but it is also influenced by the Earth's rotation, by the distribution of continents and oceans, by ocean currents, and by topography. On a local scale, the differences in rate of heating and cooling of land versus bodies of water greatly affect wind formation. Prevailing global winds are classified into three major belts in the Northern Hemisphere and three corresponding belts in the Southern Hemisphere. The trade winds blow generally east to west toward a low-pressure zone at the equator throughout the region from 30° north to 30° south of the equator. The westerlies blow from west to east in the temperate mid-latitude regions (from 30° to 60° north and south of the equator), and the polar easterlies blow from east to west out of high-pressure areas in the polar regions. See also Beaufort scale, chinook, foehn, monsoon, Santa Ana.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

wind up

  1. Come or bring to a finish, as in The party was winding up, so we decided to leave, or Let's wind up the meeting and get back to work. [Early 1800s] Also see wind down.

  2. Put in order, settle, as in She had to wind up her affairs before she could move. [Late 1700s]

  3. Arrive somewhere following a course of action, end up, as in We got lost and wound up in another town altogether, or If you're careless with your bank account, you can wind up overdrawn. [Colloquial; early 1900s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
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