wind-egg

A hen sits on a wind-egg in the nest.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • An unfertilized egg: A "wind-egg" is an egg that has not been fertilized and therefore cannot develop into a living creature. It is typically laid by a female bird without the presence of a male.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The hen laid a wind-egg that never hatched. (The egg was unfertilized and could not produce a chick.)
  • Farmers often collect wind-eggs for eating, as they are still nutritious. (Unfertilized eggs are commonly used for consumption.)

Advanced Usage

• "Wind-egg" in figurative language: Occasionally used metaphorically to describe something that is hollow, empty, or unproductive.
  • The project turned out to be a wind-egg, yielding no real results. (The effort produced nothing of value.)

Variants and Related Words

• Wind-egg (n): the singular form; no common compound variants exist.
  • She found a wind-egg in the nest. (A single unfertilized egg.)

Synonyms

• Infertile egg: an egg that cannot be fertilized.
• Unfertilized egg: an egg lacking male genetic material.

Related Idioms

• "To lay a wind-egg": to produce something useless or without substance.
  • His argument laid a wind-egg, convincing no one. (His reasoning was empty and ineffective.)