föhn

[feyn; German fœn]

noun Meteorology.

foehn.

foehn

or föhn

[feyn; German fœn]

noun

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

Origin of foehn

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for fohn

foehn

noun

meteorol a variant spelling of föhn

föhn

foehn

noun

a warm dry wind blowing down the northern slopes of the Alps. It originates as moist air blowing from the Mediterranean, rising on reaching the Alps and cooling at the saturated adiabatic lapse rate, and descending on the leeward side, warming at the dry adiabatic lapse rate, thus gaining heatSee also lapse rate

Word Origin for föhn

German, from Old High German phōnno, from Latin favōnius; related to fovēre to warm

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

fohn in Science

foehn

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. See also chinook.