A window was once imagined as an eye through which air could enter. English borrowed vindauga from Old Norse; its two parts name wind and an eye. Over centuries, the compound softened into a word that no longer looks like a compound at all.
Sources
- Merriam-Webster · window
Dictionary word history; the component and historical references below supply additional detail.
- Online Etymology Dictionary · window
Historical forms, meanings, and context for the route described here.