sirocco

American  

[suh-rok-oh] / səˈrɒk oʊ /

Also scirocco

noun

siroccos plural

1. a hot, dry, dustladen wind blowing from northern Africa and affecting parts of southern Europe.

2. a warm, sultry south or southeast wind accompanied by rain, occurring in the same regions.

3. any hot, oppressive wind, especially one in the warm sector of a cyclone.

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sirocco British  

/ sɪˈrɒkəʊ /

noun

1. a hot oppressive and often dusty wind usually occurring in spring, beginning in N Africa and reaching S Europe

2. any hot southerly wind, esp one moving to a low pressure centre

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• siroccos
  plural

Etymology

Origin of sirocco

First recorded in 1610–20; from Italian, variant of scirocco, from Arabic sharq “east”

Explanation

A sirocco is a type of storm that occurs near the Mediterranean Sea. The winds of a sirocco sometimes reach the speed of a hurricane. You've probably heard of tornadoes, blizzards, hurricanes, and maybe even tsunamis — but siroccos are probably less familiar. These winds originate in the Sahara and blow across the Mediterranean into southern Europe. They often carry dust and rain and can make temperatures rise quickly. The dreaded siroccos are most common in spring and fall and can last for hours or even days. The Arabic root of sirocco is sharqi, "east wind."

Related Words

• sandstorm