broken wind

9.9

A long-lasting lung problem in a horse that makes breathing out hard

noun

: cólico

The veterinarian diagnosed the old mare with broken wind after observing her labored breathing.

Examples

Racehorses with broken wind are often retired due to their declining performance.
He sold the horse because it showed signs of broken wind, making it unfit for hard work.
The horse suffered from broken wind after years of racing.
Many horses with broken wind cannot compete effectively.
The veterinarian diagnosed the old mare with broken wind after observing her labored breathing.
Racehorses with broken wind are often retired due to their declining performance.
He sold the horse because it showed signs of broken wind, making it unfit for hard work.

Synonyms

heaves

vsbroken wind

Specialized

9.9

A long-lasting illness in horses that makes breathing hard and causes coughing

is the same chronic problem but called a condition rather than disease

Antonyms

fit as a fiddle

Informal

6 4.2

In very good health and full of energy

How Severe

emphysema

Specialized

22 7.0

broken wind

9.9

chronic bronchitis

Specialized

1 3.4

respiratory illness

3 3.4

breathlessness

2 4.6

Surface Forms

broken wind singular

broken winds plural

Morphology

broken + wind

The constituents 'wind' (breath) and 'broken' (damaged/impaired) give a clear clue that the phrase refers to a breathing problem, so a learner who knows both words could infer a respiratory difficulty. However, the expression is a specialized veterinary term (often used as 'broken-winded') for a specific emphysema-like condition in horses, and that technical, nominalized sense may not be fully predictable to a B1 learner without exposure.

Etymology

Broken wind comes from watching horses whose breathing looked broken: their wind, or 'breath', came in short, hard parts. That's why broken wind now means a long-lasting breathing problem that makes a horse have trouble working.