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What is the difference between windmill and sail?

windmill | sail |

As nouns the difference between windmill and sail

is that windmill is a machine which translates linear motion of wind to rotational motion by means of adjustable vanes called sails while sail is (nautical) a piece of fabric attached to a boat and arranged such that it causes the wind to drive the boat along the sail may be attached to the boat via a combination of mast, spars and ropes.

As verbs the difference between windmill and sail

is that windmill is (intransitive) to rotate (itself) with a sweeping motion while sail is to be impelled or driven forward by the action of wind upon sails, as a ship on water; to be impelled on a body of water by steam or other power.

windmill

Noun

(en noun)
  • A machine which translates linear motion of wind to rotational motion by means of adjustable vanes called sails.
  • * {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=July-August, author= Lee S. Langston, magazine=(American Scientist)
  • , title= The Adaptable Gas Turbine , passage=Turbines have been around for a long time—windmills and water wheels are early examples. The name comes from the Latin turbo'', meaning ''vortex , and thus the defining property of a turbine is that a fluid or gas turns the blades of a rotor, which is attached to a shaft that can perform useful work.}}
  • The structure containing such machinery.
  • A child's toy consisting of vanes mounted on a stick that rotate when blown by a person or by the wind.
  • (basketball) A dunk where the dunker swings his arm in a circular motion before throwing the ball through the hoop.
  • A where the strumming hand mimics a turning windmill.
  • (juggling) The false shower.
  • Synonyms

    * (sense, child's toy) pinwheel

    Hypernyms

    * (machinery) machine * (sense, child's toy) toy

    Derived terms

    * tilt at windmills

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (intransitive) To rotate (itself) with a sweeping motion.
  • She ran down the hill, windmilling her arms with glee.
  • * 1999 , Jon Sharpe, Texas Hellion :
  • True to her word, her hips windmilled in a frenzy.
  • * 2005 , Gideon Defoe, The Pirates!: in an adventure with Ahab , page 140:
  • As the Pirate Captain strained at the ham, the whale began to spasm and buck about in the water. Its tail thrashed wildly up and down. Its flippers windmilled in the air uselessly.
  • Of a rotating part of a machine, to (become disengaged and) rotate freely.
  • The axle broke and the wheel windmilled in place briefly before careening through the wall.
  • * 2000 , Walter J. Boyne, Philip Handleman, Brassey's Air Combat Reader , page 18:
  • When he went to switch on his rotary engine again, the Le Rhone refused to pick up. Nothing happened! The propeller simply windmilled in the slip stream. Garros knew immediately what was wrong and cursed himself for his imbecility.
  • * 2004 , Deborah Bedford, If I Had You :
  • The propeller windmilled in front of them. Creede tried to start the engine. It growled like something angry, died away. "We're ... gonna have to ... ride this thing ... to the ground."
  • * 2006 , James R. Hansen, First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong , page 134:
  • [...] the propeller blade on number-four engine windmilled in the air stream. "I wasn't too concerned about it, really," recalls Butchart. "B-29 engines are not all that dependable."

    Quotations

    * 1978 , Peter Hathaway Capstick, Death in the long grass , page 97: *: The engine windmilled in the afternoon heat for a few seconds, then gargled to a reluctant death.

    See also

    * windpump

    sail

    English

    (wikipedia sail)

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) 'to cut'. More at saw.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (nautical) A piece of fabric attached to a boat and arranged such that it causes the wind to drive the boat along. The sail may be attached to the boat via a combination of mast, spars and ropes.
  • * : Scene 1: 496-497
  • When we have laugh'd to see the sails conceive / And grow big-bellied with the wanton wind;
  • (uncountable) The power harnessed by a sail or sails, or the use this power for travel or transport.
  • A trip in a boat, especially a sailboat.
  • Let's go for a sail .
  • (dated) A sailing vessel; a vessel of any kind; a craft. Plural sail .
  • Twenty sail were in sight.
  • The blade of a windmill.
  • A tower-like structure found on the dorsal (topside) surface of submarines.
  • The floating organ of siphonophores, such as the Portuguese man-of-war.
  • (fishing) A sailfish.
  • We caught three sails today.
  • (paleontology) an outward projection of the
  • Anything resembling a sail, such as a wing.
  • * Spenser
  • Like an eagle soaring / To weather his broad sails .
    Hyponyms
    * See also
    Derived terms
    * balloon sail * by sail * drag sail * dragon sail * point of sail * sailback * sailboard * sailboat * sailcloth * sailer * sailfish * sailing * studding sail * set sail * take the wind out of someone's sails * topsail * working sail

    Etymology 2

    (etyl) , cognate to earlier Middle Low German segelen and its descendant Low German sailen.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To be impelled or driven forward by the action of wind upon sails, as a ship on water; to be impelled on a body of water by steam or other power.
  • To move through or on the water; to swim, as a fish or a waterfowl.
  • To ride in a boat, especially a sailboat.
  • To set sail; to begin a voyage.
  • We sail for Australia tomorrow.
  • To move briskly and gracefully through the air.
  • * Shakespeare
  • As is a winged messenger of heaven, / When he bestrides the lazy pacing clouds, / And sails upon the bosom of the air.
  • * {{quote-news
  • , year=2011 , date=April 15 , author=Saj Chowdhury , title=Norwich 2 - 1 Nott'm Forest , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=A hopeful ball from Forest right-back Brendan Moloney to the left edge of the area was met first by Ruddy but his attempted clearance rebounded off Tyson's leg and sailed in.}}
  • To move briskly.
  • Derived terms
    * sail close to the wind