(third-person singular simple present windmills, present participle windmilling, simple past and past participle windmilled)
- (intransitive) To rotate (itself) with a sweeping motion.
- She ran down the hill, windmilling her arms with glee.
- (intransitive) 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.
From Middle English windmille, windmelle, windmulle, windmilne, wyndemylne, from Old English *windmylen, equivalent to wind +"Ž mill. Cognate with Scots wyndmyln, wyndmyl (“windmill"), Saterland Frisian WiendmÃ¤Ã¤lne (“windmill"), West Frisian wynmÃ»ne (“windmill"), Dutch windmolen (“windmill"), Dutch Low Saxon windmÃ¶lle (Achterhooks), wiendmeule (“windmill") (Drents, Veluws), German WindmÃ¼hle (“windmill"), Danish vindmÃ¸lle (“windmill"), Swedish vindmÃ¶lla (“windmill"), Icelandic vindmylla (“windmill").