monsoon
mon-SOON
/mɒnˈsuːn/
A seasonal prevailing wind in the region of South and Southeast Asia, bringing torrential rain between May and September.
Technically refers to the seasonal shift in wind direction, though colloquially used to describe the heavy rains that accompany it.
The story behind the word. Arabic sailors used 'mawsim' to designate the seasonal times of year for trading voyages governed by shifting winds. Portuguese traders adapted it to 'monção', which entered Dutch and then English.
Word relationships
- rainy season: Rainy season is a broad descriptive phrase, while monsoon specifies wind-driven seasonal systems.
- dry season: Dry season is the period of the year characterized by little or no precipitation.
Commonly confused with
- typhoon: A typhoon is a specific intense revolving storm; a monsoon is an entire season of wind-driven moisture.
Word family
- monsoonal (adjective): Pertaining to or caused by a monsoon.
Collocations
- monsoon rain
- monsoon season
- monsoon winds
- southwest monsoon
Example sentences
- "Farmers rely heavily on the arrival of the summer monsoon to irrigate their rice paddies." Regional climate overview
Memory hook
MONSOON arrives SOON every summer bring massive seasonal rains. Seasonal shifting wind and rain.
When not to use
Do not use for short, isolated thunderstorms unrelated to seasonal climate cycles.
Fun facts
- Cherrapunji in India receives nearly 400 inches of rainfall annually during the monsoon, making it one of the wettest places on Earth.
Explore more words
tropical, seasonal, temperate, Climate Change, intermittent, rainforest
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