Wiktionary:Word of the day/2023/December 6

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winding n

gerund of wind The act of twisting something, or coiling or wrapping something around another thing. (especially in the plural) A curving, sinuous, or twisting movement; twists and turns. (especially in the plural) A curving, sinuous, or twisting form. Chiefly followed by up: the act of tightening the spring of a clockwork or other mechanism. Sometimes followed by up: the act of hoisting something using a winch or a similar device. (figurative, chiefly in the plural) Twists and turns in an occurrence, in thinking, or some other thing; also, moral crookedness; craftiness, shiftiness. (obsolete, music) A variation in a tune. Something wound around another thing. (electrical engineering) A length of wire wound around armature of an electric motor or the core of an electrical transformer. (lutherie) Synonym of lapping (“lengths of fine silk, metal wire, or whalebone wrapped tightly around the stick of the bow of a string instrument adjacent to the leather part of the bow grip at the heel”) (obsolete) A decorative object, design, or other thing with curves or twists. (except dialectal) Synonym of withe or withy (“a flexible, slender shoot or twig, especially when used as a band or for binding”); also, all the withies used to make or repair a wall, or the process of using withies in this manner. winding adj Moving in a sinuous or twisting manner. Sinuous, turning, or twisting in form. Chiefly of a staircase: helical, spiral. (figurative) Of speech, writing, etc.: not direct or to the point; rambling, roundabout. (obsolete) Flexible, pliant. (figurative) Morally crooked; crafty, shifty. [...]

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