windmill

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂weh₁-
2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂wḗh₁ti
3. Proto-Indo-European*h₂wéh₁n̥ts
4. Proto-Germanic*windaz
5. Proto-West Germanic*wind
6. Old Englishwind
7. Middle Englishwynd
8. Proto-Indo-European*melh₂-
9. Proto-Indo-European*mélh₂ti
10. Proto-Italic*melō
11. Latinmolō
12. Latinmolīnus
13. Late Latinmolīna
14. Proto-West Germanic*mulīnu
15. Old Englishmylen
16. Middle Englishmylne
17. Middle Englishwyndmylne
18. English todaywindmill

From Middle English wyndmylne, wyndmylle, equivalent to wind + mill. Cognate with Scots wyndmyln, wyndmyl, Saterland Frisian Wíendmäälne, West Frisian wynmûne, Dutch windmolen, Afrikaans windmeul, Dutch Low Saxon windmölle (Achterhooks), wiendmeule (Drents, Veluws), German Low German Windmöhl, German Windmühle, Danish vindmølle, Norwegian Bokmål vindmølle, Norwegian Nynorsk vindmølle, vindmylne, Swedish vindmölla, Icelandic vindmylla. (imaginary enemy): A reference to Don Quixote tilting at windmills.