windburn

[wind-burn]

noun

1. an inflammation of the skin, especially that of the face and hands, caused by overexposure to the wind.

windburn

/ ˈwɪndˌbɜːn /

noun

1. irritation and redness of the skin caused by prolonged exposure to winds of high velocity

Other Word Forms

• windburned adjective
• windburnt adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of windburn¹

First recorded in 1920–25; wind ¹ + burn ¹

Example Sentences

Ice fishing leaves an experience afterglow, a pleasant, tingly emotional windburn.

From New York Times

It was last March; I was in Washington, D.C. during a tremendous windstorm that grounded planes for days and left my face sore from windburn.

From Salon

And Rigel’s protocol did not disqualify subjects from participating if they had skied on recent earlier days and had 0.5 or less erythema or windburn.

From New York Times

Burlapping, he explained, has long been used as protection against frost, heavy snowfall, windburn and the deer that have proliferated on the East End in recent years.

From New York Times

In these, my sister and I grin into the camera, hair knotted, our cheeks red and scaly with windburn.

From New York Times