bise

British  

/ biːz /

noun

1. a cold dry northerly wind in Switzerland and the neighbouring parts of France and Italy, usually in the spring

---

Etymology

Origin of bise

C14: from Old French, of Germanic origin; compare Old Swedish bīsa whirlwind

Example Sentences

“When I do my show I ask the audience by way of applause who’s done la bise since covid, the whole room applauds.”

From Reuters • Sep. 28, 2021

“The pandemic made us realize that we had the choice to do the bise or not,” said Karine Boutin, a psychoanalyst based in the western French city of Poitiers.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 31, 2021

I might not like la bise — I don’t like inattentive waiters, either — but it’s integral to the city and its culture, and its politics are in the right place.

From New York Times • May 1, 2020

Deep into last spring’s campaign to elect Socialist President François Hollande, Valérie Trierweiler could still be seen greeting an old confrère with la bise, a two-cheek kiss, on the edge of a media scrum.

From Newsweek • Sep. 17, 2012

Ne were neuere but ane hwile, A north wind arises, called the bise, and drives them to England.

From The Lay of Havelok the Dane by Unknown