Etymology of Wind-Rose
The word wind-rose was formed on the analogy of “compass rose,” which was a card showing the 32 points of the compass for mariners likened to a rose in form.
In modern usage, a wind-rose is a graphic used in meteorology to show the amount of time the wind blows in each compass direction at a specific geographic location. Wind-roses also indicate wind speed, temperature, frequency, and force.
From the technical vocabulary of meteorology and oceanography comes advection, a noun denoting the transfer of heat or energy by air movement, with its accompanying verb, to advect. The noun was borrowed directly into late Victorian English from a German oceanographic term, die Advektion ‘heat transfer by oceanic water.’ The German is from a classical Latin word, advectio, advectionis ‘carriage of goods’ from the verb advehere = ad ‘to’ + vehere ‘to carry.’
English Words from Latin Veh- Root
This Latin veh- verbal root, cognate with the English noun way, supplies dozens of English derivatives with some sense of transference or carrying, words like vehicle literal Latin meaning of vehiculum ‘little cart.’
In medicine, an agent that carries the bacteria or germs of a disease is a vector, Latin ‘carrier.’
A vehement argument carries great force.
Invective is powerful verbal or written abuse carried against some person or their beliefs.
A vein that carries blood is in Latin vena ‘carrier.’
To inveigh against someone is to attack them with violent words from Latin invehi ‘to bear in against, to attack.’
To convey something is to carry it. It may be an act of convection.
A convex lens has a curvature that bulges outward; a concave lens goes inward. Latin convexus meant ‘arched or rounded,’ from a past participle of convehĕre, namely convectus ‘carried or brought together.’ When an arch is formed, the outer parts of the surface may be said to have been ‘brought together.’
Well, matey, that’s the whole parchment on wind-rose. All readers, bound out for the Word Isles, should now be onboard, before anchor is weighed and sails are set. This column— she be a yare vessel — and previous writings on this site, if consulted, will guide you well over the treacherous sea swell of baloney so often encountered on etymological voyages.

Copyright 2012 © William Gordon Casselman
|