Monsoon

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /mɒnˈsuːn/

Definitions

1. A weather pattern characterized by seasonal winds that create extensive rainfall alongside dry spells in particular geographical areas
2. A climatic event defined by its reversal of wind circulation, leading to substantial rainfall and dry seasons in specific regions
3. A seasonal climate phenomenon involving heavy rainfall and strong winds that alternates with drier periods, significantly impacting agriculture and water supply in affected areas

Etymology: The word "monsoon" traveled a long way before reaching English, and its Arabic ancestor meant something quite ordinary: "season." That source, "mawsim," comes from a verb meaning "to mark" or "to brand," so a season was originally a marked or appointed time of year. Arab sailors crossing the Indian Ocean relied on these reversing winds, and the term passed into Portuguese as "monção" and into Dutch as "moesson," the two European languages whose traders depended most on the seasonal shifts. English borrowed the word from those European sources, so it arrived as a trade term for the wind system itself rather than for rain. The rain came to define it because the wind brings the heavy, predictable downpours that govern agriculture across South and Southeast Asia. Over time, "monsoon" shifted from naming the wind to naming the season of rain it brings.

Synonyms: rainy season, deluge