monsoon means any of a number of winds associated with regions where most rain falls during a particular season. It carries an Arena rating of 1816, earned across 64 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, monsoon ranks #599 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #781 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #814 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words, #1,838 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words.
monsoon is pronounced /mɒnˈsuːn/.
Why “monsoon” is a great word
MONSOON — [Noun] A seasonal prevailing wind system that reverses direction between summer and winter, bringing a sustained period of heavy rains to South and Southeast Asia. From Portuguese 'monção' and Dutch 'moesson', from Arabic 'mawsim' ("season"), from the verb 'wasama' ("to mark, to brand"). Unlike a tempest—a violent, chaotic outburst—or a squall—a sudden, sharp gust—the monsoon is a vast, predictable turning of the atmospheric wheel. It is the scent of petrichor rising from parched earth, the relentless percussion on a corrugated tin roof, and the sight of rivers reclaiming their ancient streets. This is the weather not as an incident, but as an epoch branded upon the land.
Etymology
Borrowed from Portuguese monção and Dutch moesson, from Arabic مَوْسِم (mawsim, “season”), from وَسَمَ (wasama, “to mark, to brand”).
noun
- Any of a number of winds associated with regions where most rain falls during a particular season.
- Tropical rainy season when the rain lasts for several months with few interruptions.
- The rains themselves.
- Entire meteorological systems with such characteristics.
- Any heavy rainstorm.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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