winze

or windz

[ winz ]

/ wɪnz /

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noun Mining.

a vertical or inclined shaft driven downward from a drift into an orebody.

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Compare raise (def. 38).

Origin of winze

1750–60; earlier winds, apparently derivative of wind² in obsolete noun sense “apparatus for winding”

Words nearby winze

wintry, Wintu, Wintun, win-win, winy, winze, WIP, wipe, wiped-out, wipe off the map, wipeout

Other definitions for winze (2 of 2)

winze²

[ winz ]

/ wɪnz /

noun Scot.

a curse.

Origin of winze

1775–85; perhaps <Dutch wens wish, wensen to wish; see wish

How to use winze in a sentence

Winze, winz, n. in mining, a small ventilating shaft between two levels.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements)|Various
It was easy for a man to fall down an uncovered winze in a strange mine.
Ainslee's magazine, Volume 16, No. 3, October, 1905|Various
They seized Oliver by the arms and dragged him hastily towards the nearest winze that led upward.
Deep Down, a Tale of the Cornish Mines|R.M. Ballantyne
They were in a level which the water entered, not by flowing along or descending, but, by rising up through a winze.
Deep Down, a Tale of the Cornish Mines|R.M. Ballantyne

On hearing the noise they ran to this winze, and, looking down, saw the water boiling and roaring far below.
Deep Down, a Tale of the Cornish Mines|R.M. Ballantyne

British Dictionary definitions for winze

winze

/ (wɪnz) /

noun

mining a steeply inclined shaft, as for ventilation between levels

Word Origin for winze

C18: from earlier winds, probably from C14 wynde windlass, from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German winde; related to Danish vinde pulley

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012