'windshield' is an English compound formed from 'wind' + 'shield', where 'wind' meant 'moving air' and 'shield' meant 'protection or a device that deflects or blocks'.

'windshield' developed in the late 19th to early 20th century as a compound (often written 'wind-shield' at first) referring generally to a shield against wind; as motor vehicles and aircraft became common, the term came to be applied specifically to the protective screen mounted at the front of such vehicles.

Initially, it meant a 'shield against the wind' in a general sense; over time it came to mean specifically the transparent front screen (usually glass) of a vehicle.