A feminine noun found only in Ecclesiastes, always in the distinctive phrase re'ut ruach ('striving after wind' or 'chasing wind'). Qoheleth deploys this expression as his signature verdict on human endeavor: all toil, wisdom-seeking, and pleasure-pursuit ultimately amount to grasping at what cannot be caught. The word appears seven times (Eccl 1:14; 2:11, 17, 26; 4:4, 6; 6:9), always paired with hevel ('vapor, vanity'). Its etymology is debated -- possibly from ra'ah ('to pasture, tend') in the sense of 'desire' or 'striving,' or from a root meaning 'to break.' Spanish afliccion de espiritu, French poursuite du vent, and German Haschen nach Wind each capture the futility of grasping at the uncatchable.