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winze (WINZ) - n., a short vertical or sloping shaft between levels of a mine.
Also a Scottish curse, but that's a minor meaning. Using "shaft" in the definition is a slight inaccuracy, as in mining jargon, a shaft always has a lift (even when the top end is still underground), while a winze is strictly between two levels and typically doesn't because it's mostly for ventilation rather than travel. First recorded in 1757 as an alteration of winds, plural of wind in the obsolete sense of an apparatus for winding.
---L.
Also a Scottish curse, but that's a minor meaning. Using "shaft" in the definition is a slight inaccuracy, as in mining jargon, a shaft always has a lift (even when the top end is still underground), while a winze is strictly between two levels and typically doesn't because it's mostly for ventilation rather than travel. First recorded in 1757 as an alteration of winds, plural of wind in the obsolete sense of an apparatus for winding.
---L.
