cross sea

American  

noun

Oceanography, Nautical.

1. a sea with a choppy surface produced by the intersection of waves from different storms.

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Etymology

Origin of cross sea

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

The day was foggy, and a heavy, cross sea and lumpy waves kept the men miserably wet.

From Literature

“A cross sea is a marine state with two wave systems traveling at oblique angels.”

From Scientific American

The hands were turned up at daylight up anchor; but the heavy squalls that came off the high land of the harbour, rendered it too hazardous to weigh, until a temporary lull enabled us to make sail, and re-commence beating to the westward against a dead foul wind, much rain, hard squalls, and a turbulent cross sea.

From Project Gutenberg

The plane taxied over a choppy cross sea toward the shadow of the island, while we squinted through the salt spray.

From Project Gutenberg

Here we battered about for several days, against a persistent south-westerly wind that refused to let us get south, until at last it freshened into a bitter gale, accompanied by the ugly cross sea that gives this region such unenviable notoriety.

From Project Gutenberg