camanchaca
1
9.9
A thick coastal fog that brings moisture to very dry areas like the Atacama Desert
- noun
- Specialized
:
camanchaca
- Farmers in the region rely on the camanchaca to provide essential water for their crops throughout the year.
Examples
-
In Chile, the camanchaca rolls in from the ocean, bringing moisture to the dry desert landscape.
-
However, in the Atacama, the camanchaca, or creeping fog, has always been considered something of a life-giver thanks to the many species of plants that grow in places where you wouldn't expect them.
Academic text (2007) -
The camanchaca creates a thick blanket of fog, often enveloping the coastal towns during the night.
Synonyms
fogbank
vscamanchaca
1
8.4
A large thick area of fog over the sea
is a coastal fog that supplies local moisture to the region
How Foggy
Surface Forms
camanchaca singular
camanchacas plural
Etymology
Camanchaca comes from a local Indigenous name in northern Chile for the thick coastal 'fog' that moves in from the Pacific Ocean. Because people there used the word to talk about the sea 'mist' that gives water to desert plants, camanchaca now means that special dense coastal fog.