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Glite Dictionary
katabatic

katabatic

9.9
A cold wind that moves down a slope, often at night
  • adjective
  • /ˌkætəˈbætɪk/
  • Specialized
translation icon : catabático
  • As a result of these katabatic winds, some Antarctic coasts are among the world's windiest places.
  • katabatic winds

Examples

  • The katabatic winds from the mountains brought a sudden chill to the valley during the night.

  • Farmers in the area must prepare for the harsh katabatic winds that can arrive after sunset.

  • Rachel Falconer notes that the important question arising out of katabatic narratives is whether anything of value has been gained from the descent into hell.

    Academic text (2008)

  • At a regional scale, the dry valley soil legacies interact with valley climate, which is determined by elevation, orientation of the valley in relation to katabatic winds, distance from marine ecosystems, and local topography, resulting in a spatial distribution of soil habitats that are suitable or not suitable for soil life.

    Academic text (1999)

  • We observed how the katabatic airflow shaped the landscape as it rushed down the slope.

Synonyms

catabatic
vskatabatic
  • Specialized
9.9

A cold wind that moves down a slope, usually at night

has identical meaning but is spelled with k at the start

Antonyms

anabatic
  • Specialized
9.9

A wind that moves up a slope when the sun heats the ground

Compounds

katabatic wind
  • Specialized
9.6

A cold wind that moves down a mountain slope

Surface Forms

katabatic positive

Morphology

katabatic = kata + bat + ic

Although analyzable into Greek-derived parts ('kata-' = down + root + '-ic'), these morphemes are not productive or familiar to an average B1 learner, so the meaning 'downward wind' is not reliably derivable from the parts.

Etymology

Katabatic comes from Greek parts kata- 'down' and -batic from a root meaning 'to go'. So a katabatic wind is a wind that 'goes down' a slope, often at night when cooler air flows downhill.