monsoon
NounUS[mon-soon]/mɑnˈsun/2 syllables
Open English WordNet
Noun (3)
- a seasonal wind in southern Asia; blows from the southwest (bringing rain) in summer and from the northeast in winterType of wind, air current
- rainy season in southern Asia when the southwestern monsoon blows, bringing heavy rainsType of rainy season
- any wind that changes direction with the seasonsType of wind, rain
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Webster's Dictionary (1913)
mon·soon′ (mŏn-so͞on′), noun
Origin: Malay mūsim, fr. Ar. mausim a time, season: cf. F. monson, mousson, Sr. monzon, Pg. monção, It. monsone.
A wind blowing part of the year from one direction, alternating with a wind from the opposite direction; — a term applied particularly to periodical winds of the Indian Ocean, which blow from the southwest from the latter part of May to the middle of September, and from the northeast from about the middle of October to the middle of December.
2. A heavy rainfall in India associated with the southwest monsoon{1}.
3. The season in which the monsoon{2} occurs.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54 · with additions: GCIDE editors