trade wind

[wind]

noun

1. Also called trades. Also trade winds any of the nearly constant easterly winds that dominate most of the tropics and subtropics throughout the world, blowing mainly from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere, and from the southeast in the Southern Hemisphere.

2. any wind that blows in one regular course, or continually in the same direction.

trade wind

/ wɪnd /

noun

1. a wind blowing obliquely towards the equator either from the northeast in the N hemisphere or the southeast in the S hemisphere, approximately between latitudes 30° N and S, forming part of the planetary wind system

Word History and Origins

Origin of trade wind¹

First recorded in 1625–35

Word History and Origins

Origin of trade wind¹

C17: from to blow trade to blow steadily in one direction, from _trade in the obsolete sense: a track

Example Sentences

The science here is most compelling when Selby spins thermal columns, updrafts, trade winds and cloud formations into a history of California’s cities and often manmade geography.

From Los Angeles Times

Officials attributed the stormy Atlantic outlook to a confluence of factors including record-warm ocean temperatures; reduced Atlantic trade winds and wind shear; and the development of La Niña.

From Los Angeles Times

El Niño affects weather worldwide due to weakened trade winds in the Pacific Ocean and often results in warmer summers in the Northern Hemisphere.

From Science Daily

During the neutral phase, which is or soon will be in effect, the so-called trade winds rush from east to west along the equator.

From Los Angeles Times

Boats that miss their destination can be swept away by Atlantic trade winds and currents from east to west, drifting for months.

From Seattle Times