wing

The word “wing” means one of the limbs a bird, insect, or aircraft uses to fly. In plain terms, the flying limb of a bird or plane, a branch/section of something, or (informally) to improvise.

“Wing” is pronounced wihng (/wɪŋ/ in IPA).

Here is “wing” used in a sentence: “The eagle spread its wings and glided over the valley.”

Depending on how it is used, “wing” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “wing” comes from Old Norse. From Old Norse vængr, related to wind through an ancient root meaning "to blow" — a wing being, at root, something that catches the air.

“Wing” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

“Wing” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: one of the limbs a bird, insect, or aircraft uses to fly.

No. Most birds fly with their wings, but some flightless species — such as penguins, ostriches, and emus — cannot. Penguins have reshaped their wings into flippers for swimming, while ostriches use theirs mainly for balance and display. A wing is defined by being a limb built for flight, even where flight has been lost.

A wing is a limb used to generate lift and move through air, whereas a fin is used to steer and propel through water. Both are flat, blade-like surfaces that push against a fluid, but they operate in different mediums — air versus water — and produce different kinds of movement.

In everyday use, wings fall into three broad groups: the feathered wings of birds, the membranous or scaled wings of insects, and the fixed, engineered wings of aircraft. All share the same job — providing lift for flight — but differ completely in structure, from bone and feather to thin membrane to metal.