Florida Gator Party Supplies QI: Quite Interesting facts about wind

QI: Quite Interesting facts about wind

A quietly intriguing column from the brains behind QI, the BBC quiz show. This week: QI Catch the Wind

Blown away: winds of 120mph in 1703 Killed up to 15,000 people in southern England Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth / PA

Compiled by Molly Oldfield and John Mitchinson 5:50 PM GMT February 3, 2011 Comments

The wind shows us how close to the edge we are. Joan Didion

eye

Wind

The origin of the word wind is the Indo-European root we-meaning "to blow." Also we get it from weather, and wing vent.

Until the 18th century, wind rhymed with kind, NOT sinned. The change was probably driven by “windy”, which sounds more natural with a short vowel. “Window” means “wind-eye” from the Old Norse vindauga (vindr, wind + auga, eye).

By the 13th century , it had replaced the Old English word eagþyrl, which meant “eye-hole”. Early windows were just open holes in the roof, used for ventilation as much as light.

Wind of life

The idea of wind as a life- force has a long history. The ancient root for breath is ane-, from which we get anima and animus, Latin feminine and masculine terms for spirit. Animal means “being that breathes”. The belief that the wind could impregnate was wMLXC Bad wind

The worst storm to affect southern England occurred on November 26 1703. Winds of 120mph (193km/h) killed between 8,000 and 15,000 people and destroyed countless thousands of trees (4,000 oaks were blown down in the New Forest alone). It was also the first national weather story, generating scores of specially printed broadsheets listing the deaths and damage caused.

No wind The doldrums are an area of calm around Earth north of the Equator. Atmospheric pressure is low at the Equator because of the heat, so air tends to rise and dissipate both north and south, leaving the original area still and windless. Ships could get stuck in the doldrums for weeks. The word was originally slang for “a dull, drowsy, or sluggish fellow "Probably from the Old Inglés dol meaning" dull "(like" dolt "). So the use of the phrase "in the doldrums" to Refer to Being depressed, first Recorded in 1811, pre-dates use STI as a Geographical first term in 1823.

Kirsty Wigglesworth, short vowel, old norse, cape town south africa, cape doctor, ancient root, southeasterly wind, open holes, masculine terms' animal spirit, indo european, eye hole, Roman writer, yrl, origin of the word, health resort, light wind, sweltering heat, southern england, 13th century

Telegraph.co.uk