foehn

or föhn

[ feyn; German fœn ]

noun

1. a warm, dry wind descending a mountain, as on the north side of the Alps.

foehn

/ fɜːn; føːn /

noun

1. meteorol a variant spelling of föhn

foehn

/ fœn,fān /

1. A warm, dry, and often strong wind coming off the lee slopes of a mountain range, especially off the northern slopes of the Alps. A foehn is a katabatic wind that warms as it descends because it has dropped its moisture before crossing the mountain range and is put under greater atmospheric pressure as it moves downward. Various local names are also used for foehns (such as chinook in the Rocky Mountain regions). A foehn can cause sudden and dramatic increases in the temperature—from 10° to 20°C (50° to 68°F) in a few minutes—which can cause snow to melt rapidly and even trigger flooding.
2. See also chinook

Word History and Origins

Origin of foehn¹

1860–65; < German Föhn (originally in Alpine dialects), Middle High German foenne, Old High German phōnno < Vulgar Latin *faōnius, for Latin Favōnius Favonius

Example Sentences

Such a rise in temperature due to compression is a well-known phenomenon, referred to as the Foehn effect.

From Project Gutenberg

The windward slopes may be very rainy, while neighboring leeward slopes are parched by a dry foehn wind.

From Project Gutenberg

It is a disagreeable freak of nature, and half the people are ill when the Foehn wind blows.

From Project Gutenberg