williwaw means A strong gust of cold wind. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 88 out of 100.
Why “williwaw” is a great word
WILLIWAW — [Noun] A violent, localized squall of frigid wind that plunges from a mountainous coastline to the sea, common in the high latitudes. Origin unknown; first used by British sailors in the 19th century. Unlike a “gust,” a generic rush of wind, or a “squall,” a sharp increase from a weather system, a williwaw is a specific, katabatic terror—the mountain itself exhaling its frozen breath. It is the invisible fist that punches a ship sideways, the audible scream through rigging that arrives before any cloud, and the shocking, personal cold that steals breath from the lungs. It is the moment the landscape actively attacks, a reminder that the coldest things fall fastest and with the most force.
noun
- A strong gust of cold wind.“The breeze in this case was the infamous north-Chicago williwaw that sometimes blows outward and bleacherward at Wrigley Field.”