harmattan

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har·mat·tan

 (här′mə-tăn′, här-măt′n)
n.
A dry dusty wind that blows along the northwest coast of Africa.
[Akan (Twi) haramata, possibly from Arabic ḥarām, evil thing, from ḥarama, to prohibit; see x̣rm in Semitic roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

harmattan

(hɑːˈmætən)
n
(Physical Geography) a dry dusty wind from the Sahara blowing towards the W African coast, esp from November to March
[C17: from Twi haramata, perhaps from Arabic harām forbidden thing; see harem]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

har•mat•tan

(ˌhɑr məˈtæn)

n.
(in W Africa) a dry, parching wind, charged with dust from the Sahara, esp. frequent in the winter.
[1665–75; said to be < Twi haramata]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.harmattan - a dusty wind from the Sahara that blows toward the western coast of Africa during the winter
air current, current of air, wind - air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure; "trees bent under the fierce winds"; "when there is no wind, row"; "the radioactivity was being swept upwards by the air current and out into the atmosphere"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
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