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Gust Beyond Wind
You're no doubt familiar with the simple gust that means "a brief burst of wind." At least a century and a half before that word first appeared in print in the late 16th century, however, a differently derived homograph came on the scene. The windy gust is probably derived from an Old Norse word gustr, whereas our older featured word (which is now considerably rarer than its look-alike) comes to us through Middle English from gustus, the Latin word for "taste." Gustus gave English another word as well. Gusto (which now usually means "zest" but can also mean "an individual or specific taste") comes to us from gustus by way of Italian.
Synonyms
Examples of gust in a Sentence
Phil Helsel, NBC News, 8 Nov. 2024
From Point Piedras Blancas, north of San Simeon, up to Cape Mendocino, forecasters were warning of dangerous winds through at least Wednesday, with gusts expected to hit up to 40 knots, or about 45 mph, and swells up to 14 feet.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024
Cnn.com, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024
Prepare for a windy afternoon, with wind gusts up to 40 mph, according to the NWS.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 4 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Gust.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gust. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
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