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mon·soon

(mŏn-sn)

1. A wind system that influences large climatic regions and reverses direction seasonally.

2. A wind from the southwest or south that brings heavy rainfall to southern Asia in the summer.

3. A similar seasonal wind, as in the southwest United States, that brings increased rainfall.

4. The rain that comes with any of these winds or wind systems.

[Obsolete Dutch monssoen, from Portuguese monção, from Arabic mawsim, season, from wasama, to mark; see wsm in Semitic roots.]

mon·soonal adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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