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Added 9 October 2026

wing

/wɪŋ/ noun

In Latin: āla Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about wing at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

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.

verb

To injure slightly (as with a gunshot), especially in the wing or arm.
To travel swiftly.
To add a wing (extra part) to.

Origin

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.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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