tramontana
- noun
:
tramontana
- Farmers often wait for the tramontana to bring clear skies and dry air for harvesting.
Examples
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The cyclists struggled against the strong tramontana as they climbed the mountain path.
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The February sun hangs low in the sky, and the icy tramontana slices in from the north, but the pastures have already turned green and the trees are budding.
Academic text (1996) -
In the winter, the cold tramontana makes it hard to stay outside for long.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A strong cold wind from southern France that blows into the Mediterranean in winter
A cold dry wind that blows from mountains into Italy and the western Mediterranean
A cold, dry north wind that blows in southeastern France and nearby areas
A cold dry north wind that blows in southeastern France, especially the Rhone valley
A strong cold wind from the north or northeast that blows along coasts
How Windy
Surface Forms
Etymology
Tramontana comes from Italian parts tra- 'across' and montana 'mountain', the same root you see in the English word 'mountain'. A helpful image is a wind that comes 'across the mountains' and down to the sea, which is why tramontana means a cold, dry wind that blows from the mountains into Italy and the western Mediterranean.