bora

¹ American  

[bawr-uh, bohr-uh] / ˈbɔr ə, ˈboʊr ə /

noun

Meteorology.

1. (on the Adriatic coasts) a violent, dry, cold wind blowing from the north or northeast.

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bora ² American  

[bawr-uh, bohr-uh] / ˈbɔr ə, ˈboʊr ə /

noun

Australian.

1. an Australian Aboriginal initiation rite in which boys are accepted into the tribe as men.

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bora ¹ British  

/ ˈbɔːrə /

noun

1. (sometimes capital) a violent cold north wind blowing from the mountains to the E coast of the Adriatic, usually in winter

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bora ² British  

/ ˈbɔːrə /

noun

1. an initiation ceremony of native Australians, introducing youths to manhood

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Etymology

Origin of bora¹

1860–65; < Upper Italian, variant of Italian borea Boreas ( def. )

Origin of bora²

First recorded in 1865–70, bora is from the Kamilaroi word būru “initiation rite, initiation belt”

Example Sentences

He reminds us that two notorious winds, the mistral and the bora, have been known to drive men mad.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 28, 2025

Colors include bora purple, graphite, and new pink-gold and blue options.

From The Verge • Aug. 10, 2022

“He is never soppy or sentimental,” Nicholson continued, “a brisk bora or a clean Adriatic breeze always comes to shift the fog and to stir the paludian exhalations; his is a very virile book.”

From The Guardian • Nov. 20, 2020

Keep an eye out for bora, an oily fish that’s a sustainable alternative to tuna.

From Washington Post • Jul. 27, 2017

Young as she was, Myrcella Baratheon was a princess bora.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin