Now updated for CSW19. New words, if any, and new inflections of existing words, are shown in red.
aeolian eolian | relating to erosion or transportation by wind; giving forth or marked by a moaning or sighing sound or musical tone produced by or as if by the wind. [L. Aeolus, from Gk. Aiolos god of the winds]. |
anabatic | of winds, rising, moving upwards. Cf. KATABATIC. |
anemology | the study of winds. |
antitrade | a contrary wind blowing at a high altitude above the trade wind. |
aquilon | the north wind. |
baguio | a hurricane. Pl. BAGUIOS. |
bayamo | a strong wind. Pl. BAYAMOS. |
bhoot bhut | a small whirlwind. |
bise bize | a cold dry northerly wind, mainly prevalent in spring, that occurs in and near Switzerland |
blasty | characterised by gusts of wind > BLASTIER, BLASTIEST. |
blatter | a clattering rainy blast of wind; (verb) to beat like rain on a window. |
blizzard | a snowstorm > BLIZZARDY, BLIZZARDLY; (verb) to rage like a blizzard BLIZZARDED, BLIZZARDING. |
blore | a violent gust of wind; a bleating or braying. |
blowy | windy, gusty > BLOWIER, BLOWIEST. |
bora | a violent cold North wind that blows from the mountains (usually in the winter) towards the East coast of the Adriatic. |
boreas | (Lat.) the north wind. |
bourasque | a tempest. |
breeze | a light wind; (verb) to blow as or like a breeze. |
breezy | like a breeze > BREEZIER, BREEZIEST. |
brickfielder | a hot dry wind in Australia. |
bura buran | in central Asia, a blizzard blowing from the North, or a summer wind from the North that causes dust storms. |
buster | a sudden violent cold wind that blows on the SE coast of Australia. |
calima | a dust storm or cloud that spreads from the Sahara into southern Europe. |
catspaw | a light breeze forming riples on the water's surface. |
chili | the sirocco in the region of Tunisia. Pl. CHILIES or CHILIS. |
chinook | a warm dry wind that descends the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. |
chubasco | a violent thunderstorm. Pl. CHUBASCOS. |
crosswind | a wind blowing across one's direction of travel. |
cyclonal cyclonic cyclonical | of or like a CYCLONE. |
cyclone | a circular storm. |
derecho | a line of intense widespread windstorms. |
doldrums | those parts of the ocean near the equator where calm and baffling winds prevail. N.B. there is no singular DOLDRUM*. |
downburst | a sudden violent downward rush of air associated with thunderstorms. Also MICROBURST. |
downdraft | a current of air downwards. N.B. there is no DOWNDRAUGHT*. |
easterly | an easterly wind. |
equinoctial | a gale that occurs about the time of the equinox. |
etesian | a NW wind that recurs annually in the summer in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea. |
favonian | of or relating to the west wind; mild and favourable. [L. favonius, west wind; the Latin names of the four winds were Favonius (or Zephyr), Notus (or Auster), Boreas (or Aquilo), and Eurus]. |
foehn fohn | a hot dry wind that blows down Alpine valleys. |
forewind | a wind from the forequarter. |
gale | a strong wind. |
ghibli gibli | the name in Libya of the SCIROCCO, a hot, dry, dusty wind blowing from North Africa to the North Mediterranean coastline. |
gregale | a northeast wind in the Mediterranean. [Ital. fr. L. graecus, Greek]. |
gust | a sudden blast of wind; (verb) to blow in gusts. |
gustily | in a gusty manner. |
gustiness | the state of being gusty. |
gusty | like a gust > GUSTIER, GUSTIEST. |
haboob | a violent dust storm or sandstorm, especially in Sudan along the southern edges of the Sahara. [Arabic habub]. |
harmattan | a dry dusty wind from the Sahara blowing towards the W. African coast. |
headwind | a wind blowing contrary to one's direction of travel. |
hurricane | a violent tropical storm. |
hurricano | a hurricane. Pl. HURRICANOES. |
jetstream | a narrow belt of high-altitude winds (about 12 000 metres high) moving east at high speeds and having an important effect on FRONTOGENESIS. |
kamikaze | in Japanese tradition, the gale that destroyed the fleet of the invading Mongols in 1281. |
kamseen kamsin khamseen khamsin | the sirocco in Egypt, a hot southerly wind that usually blows from about March to May. |
katabatic catabatic | moving downhill, sinking (of winds). Cf. ANABATIC. |
landwind | a wind blowing off the land. N.B. there is no SEAWIND*. |
levanter | a boisterous easterly wind in the West Mediterranean area that often occurs in the summer. |
libecchio libeccio | a strong westerly (or southwesterly) wind that blows on to Corsica's western coast. |
megastorm | a very large storm. |
meltemi | (Mod. Greek.) a northerly wind in the NE Mediterranean > MELTEMIS. |
microburst | a sudden violent downward rush of air associated with thunderstorms. Also DOWNBURST. |
mistral | a strong cold dry north-east wind that blows through the Rhone valley towards the Mediterranean. |
monsoon | a wind system in Southeast Asia which changes direction seasonally, creating wet and dry seasons. |
monsoonal | relating to a MONSOON. |
northerly | a northerly wind. |
pampero | a violent SW wind on and from the pampas > PAMPEROS. |
ponent | (Milton) the west; a west wind. |
prester | a blasting whirlwind. |
puna | a high bleak plateau in the Peruvian Andes; a cold wind of the Andes that blows there. [Amer. Sp., f. Quechua.] |
samiel | a hot sand-laden wind of the Arabian and North African deserts. Aka SIMOOM and SIMOON. |
sandblast | a sand-laden wind. |
sandspout | a moving pillar of sand drawn up in a whirlwind. |
sandstorm | a strong wind that whips up clouds of sand, esp. in a desert. |
sansar sarsar | a cold whistling wind. |
sciroc scirocco siroc sirocco | a hot, dry, dusty wind blowing from North Africa to the North Mediterranean coastline. |
shamal shimaal | in the Middle East, a hot dry north wind that carries sand in desert places. |
simoom simoon | a hot desert wind in Arabia. |
slant | a transitory breeze. |
sniffler | a light breeze. |
solano | a hot, dry south-easterly wind (often sand-laden) that brings suffocating weather over the Andalusian Plain in N. Spain. |
southeaster | a south-east wind. |
souther | a strong wind, gale, or storm from the south; (verb) to shift or veer southwards. |
southerly | a southerly wind. |
squall | a sudden strong wind or brief turbulent storm; (verb) to blow in a squall. |
squallish | like a SQUALL. |
suete | a southeasterly wind in areas of Cape Breton island. |
sumatra | a brief violent squall that emanates from Sumatra. It occurs in or near the Straits of Malacca. |
supercell | an unusually large storm cell or storm generated by such a cell. |
superstorm | an extremely powerful storm that causes widespread devastation. |
tailwind | a wind from the rear. |
tebbad | a sandstorm. [Persian 'fever wind']. |
tempest | a violent wind or storm; (verb) of the wind etc., to be violently strong, rage. |
thermal | an ascending current of warm air, used by birds and gliders to gain height. |
tornade | (poet.) a tornado. |
tornadic | relating to a tornado. |
tornado | a violent storm over a limited area, with whirling winds, a cyclone. Pl. TORNADOS or TORNADOES. |
tourbillion tourbillon | a whirlwind; any whirling object. |
tramontana tramontane | a cold north wind in Italy. |
twister | a tornado. |
typhon | a whirlwind. [From Typhon son of Typhoeus, later identified with him, father of dangerous winds]. |
typhonian typhonic | relating to a typhoon. |
typhoon | a violent cyclonic storm of the China Sea. [Chinese t'ai fung, big wind]. |
westerly | a wind blowing from the west. |
whirlblast | a whirling blast of wind. |
whirlwind | a column of air whirling around and towards a more or less vertical axis of low pressure, which moves along the land or ocean surface. |
whirly | a small tornado. |
whither wuther | to blow strongly with a roaring sound. |
williwau williwaw willywaw | a strong gust of cold wind blowing seawards from a mountainous coast, as in the Straits of Magellan. |
windblast | a blast of wind. |
windblow | the blowing down of trees by wind. |
windblow | the blowing down of trees by wind. |
windblown | blown by the wind. |
windlessness | the state of being without wind. |
windstorm | a storm of wind. |
windswept | swept by the wind. |
windthrow | the blowing down of trees by wind. |
zephyr | a soft or gentle breeze; the west wind. |
zonda | a dry, hot wind blowing from the Andes across the Argentine pampas, during July and August. |