monsoon

Etymology

From Portuguese monção and Dutch moesson, from Arabic مَوْسِم (mawsim, “season”), from وَسَمَ (wasama, “to mark, to brand”).

noun

1. Any of a number of winds associated with regions where most rain falls during a particular season.
2. Tropical rainy season when the rain lasts for several months with few interruptions.
   Floods in northern India, mostly in the small state of Uttarakhand, have wrought disaster on an enormous scale. The early, intense onset of the monsoon on June 14th swelled rivers, washing away roads, bridges, hotels and even whole villages. Rock-filled torrents smashed vehicles and homes, burying victims under rubble and sludge. 2013-06-29, “High and wet”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, page 28
3. The rains themselves.
4. Entire meteorological systems with such characteristics.