north wind
3
1.6
- noun
:
viento del norte
- The ship rowed out to sea and there picked up a fair north wind.
- north wind blows
- a cold north wind
- a strong north wind
So right now the wind is blowing north to South and it's a real harsh north wind.
- So right now the wind is blowing north to South and it's a real harsh north wind.
Examples
-
The cold north wind is dry and cleansing, pushing away the last of the clouds before they reach the highway.
Fiction book (2002) -
The north wind whistled and howled loudly through the towering redwood and fir trees.
Fiction book (1995) -
There will also be a north wind of about 10 mph.
Blog text (12) -
A strong north wind is blowing outside, searching for a route through the streets to the sea.
Fiction book (2001) -
Conditions will be mostly sunny, with a high near 63 and a north wind of 10 mph.
Blog text (12) -
The temperature is dropping way below zero, and the north wind is increasing to near gale force.
Blog text (25) -
Through the gray air, a north wind blew minute crystals of frozen snow like darts against their faces.
Fiction book (1992) -
I came to the newspaper pavilion, the only spot that the biting north wind couldn't reach.
Fiction book (2002) -
Small flakes still danced on the frigid north wind, but it was no longer snowing hard.
Blog text (6) -
Morgan could smell snow on the sharp north wind, see it coming in the slate sky over the mountain.
Synonyms
1
8.7
A strong cold wind that blows from the north
1
3.3
A wind that comes from the north
A north wind or the Greek god of that wind
Antonyms
How Strong
- US
1
8.7
3
1.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a wind that blows from the north' is directly and compositionally derived from 'north' (a cardinal direction) + 'wind' (air movement). This is a standard and cross-linguistically common noun–modifier pattern (direction + wind), so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
North wind comes from a simple picture: a wind that blows from the north. People noticed these winds often brought 'cold' air and bad weather, so north wind means a wind coming from the north that usually makes things colder.