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sirocco

noun
si·​roc·​co | \ shə-ˈrä-(ˌ)kō How to pronounce sirocco (audio) , sə-\
variants: or less commonly
plural siroccos

Definition of sirocco

1a : a hot dust-laden wind from the Libyan deserts that blows on the northern Mediterranean coast chiefly in Italy, Malta, and Sicily
b : a warm moist oppressive southeast wind in the same regions
2 : a hot or warm wind of cyclonic origin from an arid or heated region

Examples of sirocco in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

 Throw in a bizarre Hill Country sirocco that acted like an elemental Dikembe Mutombo, swatting away drives and steering putts astray. — Roy Bragg, San Antonio Express-News, "Young golfer makes his bid to play with the big boys," 19 Apr. 2018 Franco looks way too young compared with Kidman, for one thing, and his British accent comes and goes, like the sirocco. — Michael O'sullivan, The Denver Post, "“Queen of the Desert”: Gertrude Bell biopic trudges ploddingly through melodrama," 7 Apr. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sirocco.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of sirocco

1617, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

History and Etymology for sirocco

Italian scirocco, sirocco, alteration of Old Italian scilocco, from Arabic dialect (Maghreb) šlōq southeast wind, alteration of Arabic shalūq, shulūq

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More from Merriam-Webster on sirocco

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sirocco

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