wing

B1 Topic:Aviation & Flight

US /ˈwɪŋɡ/ UK /wɪŋ/ See IPA manual

Freq #2979

Meanings

1

noun
One of the two body parts a bird, bat, or insect uses to fly.

The bird was flapping its wings.
2

noun
The flat part on each side of an aircraft that lifts it into the air.

I took my seat on the plane, overlooking the wing.
3

noun
A separate part of a large building, extending out from the main section.

The patient was moved to the west wing of the hospital.
4

noun
A group within an organization or political party that shares particular views.

They belong to the progressive wing of the party.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

deltaforward garrison

Word family

Forms apterouswidewingedwingedwingingwinglesswings

Derived forms anglewing awingbandwingbarwingbat-wingbatswingbatwingbeeswingbewingbirdwingbitewingbluewing

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

wing commander
an officer holding an air-force rank immediately below group captain

Noun + noun

Proverbs (3)

See all

Simplified etymology

Wing entered Middle English from Old Norse vængr. Before its adoption, English used the Old English word feathers for the corresponding part of a bird.

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 *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…

*h₂weh₁- Proto-Indo-European winge Middle English vængr Old Norse *wēingijaz Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Aviation & Flight Animals

External links

# wing

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈwɪŋɡ/
**IPA (UK):** /wɪŋ/
**Frequency rank:** 2979

## Meanings
1. One of the two body parts a bird, bat, or insect uses to fly.
2. The flat part on each side of an aircraft that lifts it into the air.
3. A separate part of a large building, extending out from the main section.
4. A group within an organization or political party that shares particular views.

## Examples
- The bird was flapping its wings.
- I took my seat on the plane, overlooking the wing.
- The patient was moved to the west wing of the hospital.
- They belong to the progressive wing of the party.

## Synonyms
- delta
- forward
- garrison

## Derived Forms
- anglewing
- awing
- bandwing
- barwing
- bat-wing
- batswing
- batwing
- beeswing
- bewing
- birdwing
- bitewing
- bluewing

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *h₂weh₁-
- Root: winge
- Root: vængr
- Root: *wēingijaz

## 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 *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…

## AI Etymology
Wing is 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”). Important historical forms include Proto-Indo-European *h₂weh₁-, Middle English winge, Old Norse vængr, and Proto-Germanic *wēingijaz. In present-day use, it can mean one of the two body parts a bird, bat, or insect uses to fly, or the flat part on each side of an aircraft that lifts it into the air.

## Topics
- Aviation & Flight
- Animals

markdown