windfall

English

Etymology

From Middle English windfal, wyndfall, equivalent to wind +‎ fall. Cognate with Middle High German wintval, wintfal, German Windfall.

Pronunciation

• enPR: wĭndfäl, IPA^(key): /ˈwɪnd.fɑl/

Noun

windfall (plural windfalls)

1. Something that has been blown down by the wind.
2. A fruit that has fallen from a tree naturally, as from wind.

   They couldn't reach the branches, so they ate the windfalls.

3. (figuratively) A sudden large benefit; especially, a sudden or unexpected large amount of money, as from lottery or sweepstakes winnings or an unexpected inheritance or gift.
   • 2004: Chris Wallace, Character: Profiles in Presidential Courage

     Businessmen rushed to get every last commodity aboard a departing ship, hoping for a windfall once the world realized these would be the very last sacks of flour available, thus driving up prices.

Derived terms

• windfall profit
• windfall profits tax
• windfall shares
• windfall tax

 

Translations

something that has been blown down by the wind

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Finnish: tuulenkaato (fi)
• Maori: tāiha
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Norwegian: vindfall n
• Russian: па́данец (ru) m (pádanec), ветрова́л (ru) m (vetrovál) (of trees), вале́жник (ru) m (valéžnik) (of trees), бурело́м (ru) m (burelóm) (of trees)
• Tlingit: g̱éechadi

fruit fallen off a tree naturally

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Finnish: pudokas (fi)
• German: Fallobst (de) n
• Irish: toradh leagtha m
• Norwegian: nedfallsfrukt m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Polish: spad (pl) m
• Russian: па́данец (ru) m (pádanec), па́далица (ru) f (pádalica)
• Spanish: fruta caida
• Swedish: fallfrukt (sv)
• Volapük: falafluk, (collective) falaflukem
• Welsh: ffrwyth cwymp m

sudden large benefit

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 暴利 (zh) (bàolì)

• Finnish: jättipotti (fi)
• French: aubaine (fr) f
• German: warmer Regen m
• Greek:

  Ancient: ἕρμαιον n (hérmaion)

• Icelandic: hvalreki m
• Irish: amhantar m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: 僥倖 (ja) (ぎょうこう, gyōkō)
• Maori: kurapae
• Norwegian: uventet hell
• Russian: неожи́данная уда́ча f (neožídannaja udáča)
• Thai: ลาภลอย
• Turkish: devlet kuşu (tr), talih kuşu (tr)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Norman: ^{(please verify)} tchêtinne f (Jersey)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Anagrams

• fall wind