short-winded, a.
[f. short a. + wind n. + -ed1.]
a. Short of breath; suffering from or liable to difficulty of breathing; that soon becomes out of breath with any exertion.
| c 1450 Merlin xv. 245 And whan thei saugh the saisnes well chased and short wynded, thei lete renne at hem. c 1593 Jane in Hakluyt Voy. (1600) III. 852 Captaine Cotton and my selfe swolne and short winded. 1656 Ridgley Pract. Physick 81 Forestus often prescribeth to short-winded people in a Consumption. 1793 T. Beddoes Obesity 101 Short-winded persons are very often corpulent. 1840 Dickens Barn. Rudge li, The short-winded locksmith had no chance against a man of Sim's youth and spare figure. 1891 C. Roberts Adrift Amer. 166, I was wretchedly weak and short-winded, only being able to walk a few yards at a time. |
b. fig.
| 1596 Shakes. 1 Hen. IV, i. i. 3 Finde we a time for frighted Peace to pant, And breath shortwinded accents of new broils To be commenc'd in Stronds a-farre remote. 1656 Trapp Comm. 2 Cor. viii. 11 Their shortwinded wishes. 1688 Bunyan Heav. Footman (1886) 165 They went to the work at first pretty willingly, but they were very short-winded, they were quickly out of breath, and in their hearts they turned back again into Egypt. 1934 C. Lambert Music Ho! i. 36 His [sc. Debussy's] melodies may be a little short-winded. 1976 Gramophone May 1772/3 The first movements, if short-winded for Bach, have an easy fluency. |
Hence short-ˈwindedness, a state or condition of being short-winded, dyspnœa. Also fig.
| 1614 T. Adams Divells Banket vi. 303 Balme taken fasting..is very good against short-windednesse. 1753 Torriano Non-Naturals 52 It begets..pulmonary Humours, (especially Short-windedness,) and Death. 1934 C. Lambert Music Ho! ii. 102 His [sc. Stravinsky's] melodic style has always been marked by extreme shortwindedness. |