[meteorology] A diagram showing, for a given place and time period, how much of the time the wind blows from each direction. Wind roses have many variations, but in the typical pattern, a number of wedges (usually eight, twelve, or sixteen) radiate from the center of a circle. The width and orientation of a wedge represent the direction from which the wind blows; the length of a wedge represents the percentage of time the wind blows from that direction. More complex wind roses use color schemes and other graphic devices to represent wind speed and related information.