Windlike

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Resembling or characteristic of the movement or qualities of air in motion ; having a flowing, swift, and elusive nature similar to a breeze ; displaying traits or actions that suggest the gentle or sudden stirrings of the atmosphere
2. Exhibiting features akin to the gusting or breezy aspects of atmospheric currents ; possessing a graceful, flowing manner reminiscent of wafting air ; indicating qualities that are airy, fluid, and fleeting like a passing wind
3. Reflecting attributes comparable to the dynamic motions of wind ; carrying an impression of smooth, quick, and intangible movement ; describing something that appears light, ephemeral, and reminiscent of the natural flow of air currents

Etymology: "Windlike" is about as plain as English compounds get: it joins "wind," the moving air that Old English knew as "wind," with the suffix "-like," which attaches to a noun to mean "having the form or character of" that noun. Put together, the adjective describes something that resembles moving air, whether in its gusty motion, its lightness, or its unseen quality. The suffix itself is the older and more productive half of the story. "-like" comes from Old English "-lic," a form of "līc," meaning "body" or "form," which is also the source of the word "like" in its sense of resembling. Over time that sense of bodily form narrowed into the general idea of similarity, and English speakers attached it freely to nouns, producing hundreds of adjectives such as "childlike," "ghostlike," and "dreamlike." Because "windlike" is built transparently from two English parts, its meaning can be worked out directly from them, and it needs no borrowed or classical root to explain it.

Synonyms: airy, breezy, gusty, blowy

Antonyms: calm, still, windless