Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The effect of wind on the course of a projectile.
  • noun The point or degree at which the wind gauge or sight of a rifle or gun must be set to compensate for the effect of the wind.
  • noun The difference in a given firearm between the diameter of the projectile fired and the diameter of the bore of the firearm.
  • noun The disturbance of air caused by the passage of a fast-moving object, such as a railway train.
  • noun Nautical The part of the surface of a ship exposed to the wind.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The disturbance of the atmosphere by the movement of any object through it, as by that of a revolving fly-wheel or armature.
  • noun The space intervening between the moving part of any mechanism and the inclosure within which it moves, as the air-gap of a dynamo.
  • noun The air-friction of the moving parts of a machine as distinguished from the friction of the bearing surfaces.
  • noun In gunnery:
  • noun The difference allowed between the diameter of a projectile and that of the bore of the gun from which it is to be fired, in order to allow the escape of some part of the explosive gas, and to prevent too great friction.
  • noun The rush or concussion of the air produced by the rapid passage of a shot.
  • noun The influence of the wind in deflecting a missile, as a ball or an arrow, from its direct path, or aside from the point or object at which it is aimed; also, the amount or extent of such deflection.
  • noun The play between the spindle of the De Bange gas-cheek and its cavity in the breech-screw: it is expressed in decimal parts of an inch, and is measured by the difference between the diameters of the spindle and its cavity.
  • noun In surgery, same as wind-contusion.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Gun.) The difference between the diameter of the bore of a gun and that of the shot fired from it.
  • noun The sudden compression of the air caused by a projectile in passing close to another body.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun automotive Drag on the crankshaft caused by oil splashing out of the sump when rotating at high speeds.
  • noun ballistics The difference in diameter between the bore of a firearm and the shot
  • noun ballistics Horizontal adjustment of the sight of a firearm
  • noun medicine, dated A contusion caused by a projectile that does not enter the skin, due to either compressed air or a glancing blow
  • noun Exposure to the wind

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the deflection of a projectile resulting from the effects of wind
  • noun the retarding force of air friction on a moving object
  • noun the space between the projectile of a smoothbore gun and the surface of the bore of the gun
  • noun exposure to the wind (as the exposed part of a vessel's hull which is responsible for wind resistance)

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

wind +‎ -age

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Examples

  • Consequently adequate allowance has to be made for windage, which is a very difficult factor to calculate from aloft.

    Aeroplanes and Dirigibles of War Frederick Arthur Ambrose Talbot

  • Some of these chemicals get released to the environment through a process called windage where some water droplets - with their dissolved chemicals - get blown out of the towers.

    Atomic Insights Blog 2009

  • When inserted into the gravatana, the swell of the cotton filled the tube exactly, -- not so tightly as to impede the passage of the arrow, nor so loosely as to allow of "windage" when blown upon through the mouthpiece.

    The Forest Exiles The Perils of a Peruvian Family in the Wilds of the Amazon Mayne Reid 1850

  • When inserted into the gravatána, the swell of the cotton filled the tube exactly, -- not so tightly as to impede the passage of the arrow, nor so loosely as to allow of "windage" when blown upon through the mouthpiece.

    Popular Adventure Tales Mayne Reid 1850

  • Another concept carried over from MotoGP design and first offered to the public with Honda's CRF® motocross line is the application of a sealed crankcase system that maintains a mild negative pressure to minimize mechanical pumping or "windage" losses.

    WebWire | Recent Headlines 2009

  • And their FIA allowed "reliability mods" these past few years dealt with that and oil scavenging/spraying system improvements and "windage" reductions.

    F1Central.net Latest News 2009

  • The prairie dog scope should have high magnification (like 6. 5-25x), great clarity, mil dot or comparable reticle, minimal paralax and good tracking for elevation/windage adjustment.

    Best :Prairie Dog Scope $150-$400 2009

  • A simple just behind the shoulder heart and lung shot will do and this gives you more room for windage error.

    The "Infallible" Shoulder Shot 2009

  • A simple just behind the shoulder heart and lung shot will do and this gives you more room for windage error.

    The "Infallible" Shoulder Shot 2009

  • I would just love to put these freaks to the test and watch them try to explain the nuances of windage and, rifling rates, and mid-range trajectories.

    Think Progress » Brown victory party featured flag calling for a ‘second’ revolution, tea party-inspired civil war. 2010

Comments

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  • "WINDAGE of a gun, is the difference between the diameter of the bore and the diameter of the shot or shell." (citation in list description)

    October 9, 2008

  • "The play between the spindle of the De Bange gas-cheek and its cavity in the breech-screw: it is expressed in decimal parts of an inch, and is measured by the difference between the diameters of the spindle and its cavity."

    --from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

    January 15, 2019