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Glite Dictionary
southwester

southwester

7.4
A strong wind that blows from the southwest
  • noun
  • /ˈsaʊθˌwɛstər/
: viento del suroeste
  • The strong southwester made it difficult to keep the beach umbrella upright.

Examples

  • Recall Trowbridge's (1854) assertion that these storms should be called southwesters.

    Academic text (1994)

  • During the storm, the southwester gusts rattled the shutters of the old house.

  • As she sailed out into the bay, the boat rocked violently in the fierce southwester wind.

Synonyms

sou'wester
vssouthwester
  • UK
9.1

A strong wind that blows from the southwest

is the regular full written form rather than the contracted name
southwesterly
vssouthwester
3.4

A wind that blows from the southwest

is a notably stronger wind from the same compass direction
afer
vssouthwester
  • Archaic
9.9

An old word for a southwest wind

is the modern common term used today rather than the archaic name

How Strong

hurricane
301 2.2
storm
∞ 1.0
gale
24 5.8
southwester
7.4
wind
∞ 1.0
breeze
201 1.0

Surface Forms

southwester singular
southwesters plural

Morphology

southwester = southwest (semi-transparent) = south + west + er

The word clearly contains southwest plus the directional wind suffix -er, but the meaning is a conventional meteorological term rather than a fully predictable everyday compound.

Etymology

The word southwester comes from south and west plus the ending -er, meaning 'from the southwest'. Sailors used it for a strong wind from that direction, so a southwester today is a strong wind that blows from the southwest and often brings rain or cooler air.