wind [OE] A word from an Indo-European root that also gave us Latin ventus, the source of vent [LME] and ventilate [LME]. Winnow, windwian in Old English, is to use the wind to separate grain and chaff. To get wind of something [M19th] comes from the idea of hunted animal picking up the scent of a hunter. See also ill. For the differently pronounced verb see *wand.