cross sea

nounOceanography, Nautical.

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

Origin of cross sea

First recorded in 1865–70

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Still, they have a heavy swell to contend with, and an ugly cross sea.
The Land of Fire | Mayne Reid
cross sea: A sea or swell caused by a wind different from that blowing at the time the cross sea is running.
The Sportswoman's Library, v. 2 | Various
By noon, however, the heavy cross-sea had abated, and the Excelsior bore west.
The Crusade of the Excelsior | Bret Harte
We drifted in upon the land in the chill light of a stormy dawn across a heartless cross-sea mountain high.
The Jacket (The Star-Rover) | Jack London
We run into a cross-sea or a swell, or something, and they disappear again, and their places at the table remain vacant.
The Ship Dwellers | Albert Bigelow Paine

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