Aeolian

also, aeolic. belonging to a nation of people in ancient greece named after , its legendary founder.
a member of one of the four main divisions of the prehistoric greeks.
compare (def 5), (def 2), (def 3).
(def 1).
pertaining to , or to the winds in general.
(usually lowercase) of or caused by the wind; wind-blown.
historical examples

they are ridges of aeolian limestone plastered over by a thin layer of corals and other calcareous organisms.
encyclopaedia britannica, 11th edition, volume 3, slice 6 various

it sounded as if the evening breeze were stirring aeolian harps.
citizen bird mabel osgood wright and elliott coues

the breeze had now freshened till it was singing 125an aeolian song in every wire and brace of the golden b-tterfly.
the girl aviators and the phantom airship margaret burnham

suddenly there arose on the air a sound of sweet, soft music, like the gentle breathings of an aeolian harp.
deep down, a tale of the cornish mines r.m. ballantyne

“my name is manicamp,” replied the young man, in a voice whose tones were as harmonious and sweet as the notes of an aeolian harp.
ten years later alexandre dumas, pere

she had determined to keep her word to learn to speak, write, and compose verses in the aeolian dialect of the greek tongue.
the emperor, complete georg ebers

he had struck the piano, and the strings answered with a faint, aeolian confusion.
dragon’s blood henry milner rideout

the soughing of the wind through the leafy boughs sounded like the faint music of aeolian harps.
the hill of venus nathan gallizier

he added, presently, a great aeolian orchestrelle, with a variety of music for his different moods.
mark twain, a biography, 1835-1910, complete albert bigelow paine

the steamer whistles every minute; its whistle is midway between the bray of an -ss and an aeolian harp.
letters of anton chekhov anton chekhov

adjective
of or relating to the wind; produced or carried by the wind
noun
a member of a h-llenic people who settled in thessaly and boeotia and colonized lesbos and parts of the aegean coast of asia minor
adjective
of or relating to this people or their dialect of ancient greek; aeolic
of or relating to aeolus
denoting or relating to an authentic mode represented by the ascending natural diatonic scale from a to a: the basis of the modern minor key see also hypo-
adj.

c.1600, “of the wind,” from latin æolus “god of the winds,” from greek aiolos, from aiolos “quickly moving.” æolian harp first recorded 1791. the ancient district of aiolis in asia minor was said to have been named for the wind god, hence æolian also refers to one branch of the ancient greek people.
aeolian
(ē-ō’lē-ən)
see eolian.
eolian also aeolian
(ē-ō’lē-ən)
relating to, caused by, or carried by the wind. loess is an eolian deposit.