windburn

American  

[wind-burn] / ˈwɪndˌbɜrn /

noun

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

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windburn British  

/ ˈwɪndˌbɜːn /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

• windburned adjective
• windburnt adjective

Etymology

Origin of windburn

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

Example Sentences

Behind the windburn, Edward Ashton’s cheeks were bone white, and his black eyes glittered with fever.

From Literature

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