monsoon Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a seasonal wind in southern Asia; blows from the southwest (bringing rain) in summer and from the northeast in winter
  2. noun rainy season in southern Asia when the southwestern monsoon blows, bringing heavy rains
  3. noun any wind that changes direction with the seasons

WordNet

Mon*soon" noun
Etymology
Malay m&umac;sim, fr. Ar. mausim a time, season: cf. F. monson, mousson, Sr. monzon, Pg. monção, It. monsone.
Definitions
  1. A wind blowing part of the year from one direction, alternating with a wind from the opposite direction; -- a term applied particularly to periodical winds of the Indian Ocean, which blow from the southwest from the latter part of May to the middle of September, and from the northeast from about the middle of October to the middle of December. 2. a heavy rainfall in India associated with the southwest monsoon. 3. the season in which the monsoon[2] occurs

Webster 1913