sirocco

American  

[suh-rok-oh] / səˈrɒk oʊ /

Also scirocco

noun

plural

siroccos

1. a hot, dry, dustladen wind blowing from northern Africa and affecting parts of southern Europe.

2. a warm, sultry south or southeast wind accompanied by rain, occurring in the same regions.

3. any hot, oppressive wind, especially one in the warm sector of a cyclone.

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sirocco British  

/ sɪˈrɒkəʊ /

noun

1. a hot oppressive and often dusty wind usually occurring in spring, beginning in N Africa and reaching S Europe

2. any hot southerly wind, esp one moving to a low pressure centre

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Etymology

Origin of sirocco

First recorded in 1610–20; from Italian, variant of scirocco, from Arabic sharq “east”

Explanation

A sirocco is a type of storm that occurs near the Mediterranean Sea. The winds of a sirocco sometimes reach the speed of a hurricane. You've probably heard of tornadoes, blizzards, hurricanes, and maybe even tsunamis — but siroccos are probably less familiar. These winds originate in the Sahara and blow across the Mediterranean into southern Europe. They often carry dust and rain and can make temperatures rise quickly. The dreaded siroccos are most common in spring and fall and can last for hours or even days. The Arabic root of sirocco is sharqi, "east wind."

Example Sentences

As locals will tell you, nature is in charge here, and when a sirocco hits, you have to go with the flow.

From New York Times • May 29, 2024

On this occasion, though, we are all so in the thrall of Driver, who breezes in and out of “Burn This” like a sirocco, that we believe in his ability to turn Anna’s head.

From Washington Post • Apr. 21, 2019

In the summer, the squares are picked clean by le sirocco, a wind that originates in the Sahara and covers the rooftops in fine red sand.

From Salon • May 15, 2016

She was marvellous and monstrous, sirocco and mistral, fragile and brutish, inspired and vacant.

From The New Yorker • Jul. 18, 2014

In that part of the world, it was called the sirocco, because it brought moisture from the oceans to the east.

From "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho

Related Words

• sandstorm