Hindwing

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The rear pair of wings on an insect or other flying creature with four wings
2. The pair of wings located at the back of certain insects that assist in flight and are distinct from the forewings
3. The posterior set of wings on certain flying animals that contribute to their aerial mobility, differing from the front wings

Etymology: The hind in "hindwing" is the same word as the hind in "behind" and "hindmost", meaning "rear" or "back", and it is a different word from the "hind" that means a female deer. English took the sense from Old Norse, where "hind" appeared in forms such as "hindr", meaning the rear part of something. The wing half is ordinary Old English "wing", so the whole term is a plain compound: the wing at the back. Entomologists needed a word for the pair of smaller wings at the rear of an insect, which in many species, such as bees and wasps, hook onto the forewings in flight. The compound was formed in English from these two existing parts, so it describes the position of the wing rather than its function.