anemos

Anemos is the Greek word for wind. In classical Greek, it denotes the wind in general and also serves as the personification of wind in poetry and myth. The term underpins many scientific and literary words, such as anemometer, a device for measuring wind speed, and anemology, the study of wind.

In Greek mythology the Anemoi are the wind gods. The most commonly cited form features four major winds—Boreas (north wind), Zephyrus (west wind), Notus (south wind), and Eurus (east wind)—who are typically described as sons of Eos, the dawn, and Astraeus, the Titan associated with stars. Each wind is linked to a cardinal direction and to particular weather patterns, and they are often depicted as winged beings capable of influencing the climate and seasonal conditions. In later traditions, additional named winds appear, expanding the family of wind entities beyond the four classical directions.

Beyond myth, the concept of anemos remains central to science and everyday language as a term for wind. It is used in meteorology and environmental sciences to describe wind-related phenomena, and it forms the basis of related terms such as anemometer, anemology, and other wind-measuring and wind-studying terms.

See also references to the Anemoi for further details on the cultural and literary contexts of winds in ancient Greek myth.