windfall means something that has been blown down by the wind. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 75 out of 100.
Why this word is great
WINDFALL — [Noun] An unexpected gain or piece of good fortune, especially a sum of money. From Middle English windfal, wyndfall, equivalent to wind + fall, literally meaning something blown down by the wind, such as fruit from a tree. Unlike a "bonus" (which implies a contractual reward for merit) or an "inheritance" (which arrives with the solemn weight of legacy), a windfall is wholly unearned, a rupture in the predictable economy of cause and effect. It is the forgotten apple thudding softly in the tall grass, the unclaimed lottery ticket discovered in a coat pocket from last winter, the sudden, improbable check arriving on a Tuesday for reasons no one fully understands—a small, bright proof that fate is still capable of arbitrary kindness.
noun
- Something that has been blown down by the wind.
- The act of something being blown down by wind.“The danger from windfall is greatest to trees developed in dense stands, which are tall and have slender stems, and increases with the age of the stand.”
- A fruit that has fallen from a tree naturally, as from wind.“They couldn't reach the branches, so they ate the windfalls.”
- A sudden large benefit; especially, a sudden or unexpected large amount of money, as from lottery or sweepstakes winnings or an unexpected inheritance or gift.“Businessmen rushed to get every last commodity aboard a departing ship, hoping for a windfall once the world realized these would be the very last sacks of flour available, thus driving up prices.”