zephyr

American  

[zef-er] / ˈzɛf ər /

noun

1. a gentle, mild breeze.

2. (initial capital letter) the west wind.

3. any of various things of fine, light quality, as fabric, yarn, etc.

---

zephyr British  

/ ˈzɛfə /

noun

1. a soft or gentle breeze

2. any of several delicate soft yarns, fabrics, or garments, usually of wool

---

Zephyr Cultural  

1. The Greek and Roman god of the west wind, considered the most pleasant of the winds.

---

Related Words

See wind ¹.

Etymology

Origin of zephyr

First recorded before 1000 zephyr for def. 2; Middle English, from Latin zephyrus, from Greek zéphyros “the west wind”; replacing Middle English zeferus, zephirus, Old English zefferus, from Latin as above

Example Sentences

If we had wind chimes, it would’ve been a Lollapalooza monsoon of surly zephyrs all the livelong night.

From Los Angeles Times

Indulge yourself with handcrafted, artisanal, small-batch chocolates, including yuzu pâte de fruit, sesame crunch, honey ganache and cinnamon zephyr ganache flavors.

From Seattle Times

“I thought, last year, that I loved you—but that was as a zephyr to a gale, compared to this engulfing, enveloping worship of now,” she wrote.

From Literature

Short and stout pattypan are as cute as buttons; slender, two-toned zephyrs look like their bottoms have been dipped in green dye; pale green chayote could be mistaken for pears at first glance.

From Seattle Times

In this place there is no ship but the sleek racing yacht sailing out of the bay, blown by a custom-made zephyr, sending it off to points even more exotic than this.

From Literature

Related Words

• air
• blast
• breeze
• cyclone
• gale
• gust