Mon-sōōn’, n.

n. [Fr. monson, monçon, mousson, Sp. monzon, Pg. monção, It. monsone, Malay. musim, Hind. mausim, mausam, from Ar. mausim, a time, a season, from wasama, to mark, sign.] A wind blowing half the year in one direction, and the other half in the opposite;—a term applied particularly to certain winds of the Indian Ocean, which blow from the south-west from April to October, and from the north-east the rest of the year. The term is sometimes used to designate similar winds in other parts of the globe.