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Glite Dictionary
windtalker

windtalker

1 9.9
A Navajo person who made and sent secret military codes during World War II
  • noun
  • /ˈwɪndˌtɔːkər/
: windtalker
  • The windtalker played a crucial role in the war effort.

Examples

  • Many Navajo soldiers became Windtalkers, utilizing their unique language to create codes that were difficult for enemies to decipher.

  • As a windtalker, he played a crucial role in keeping military communications secure.

  • The contributions of every windtalker were vital to the Allied victory.

  • The film tells the story of a windtalker serving in the Pacific during World War II.

  • Many windtalkers were honored for their service after the war.

  • The Windtalkers played a crucial role in transmitting secret messages using their native language during World War II.

  • The contributions of the Windtalkers were essential to the success of the U.S. military's operations in the Pacific theater.

Synonyms

codetalker
vswindtalker
  • US
1 9.9

A Native American soldier, often Navajo, who used their language to send secret military messages during World War II

is limited to Navajo people rather than other tribes

Surface Forms

windtalker singular
windtalkers plural

Morphology

windtalker = wind + talker (opaque) = wind + talk + er

Although formed from recognizable words, the component 'wind' does not contribute a literal meaning relevant to the historical role (it is a coined formation analogous to 'code talker'), so the compound meaning is not derivable from its parts.

Etymology

Windtalker was used in World War II for Navajo people who used their own language to make and send secret codes for the U.S. military. The name joins wind and talker to give the picture of messages moving through the air like the 'wind', which helps explain why it means someone who spoke secret messages in wartime.