French word

mousson

Pronunciation

IPA/musɔ̃/

Meaning

  • feminine nounrainy season

Example

Pendant la mousson, les rivières peuvent déborder.

During the rainy season, rivers can overflow.

Illustration for mousson (rainy season)

More examples

Après la mousson, les champs sont souvent fertiles.

After the monsoon, the fields are often fertile.

Core concept

A long stretch of heavy, regular rain arriving with a seasonal shift in the winds.

Common phrases

  • la mousson

    the monsoon

  • pendant la mousson

    during the monsoon

Similar words

saison des pluies: A set period when rain is concentrated in tropical regions.
déluge: A very large amount of rain falling in a short time.
inondation: Water overflowing onto land or into buildings.
pluie: Water falling from the sky.

Definition in French

Période de l'année marquée par des pluies abondantes et régulières, provoquées par des vents saisonniers.

Word origin

French mousson came through Portuguese monção from Arabic mawsim, meaning 'season', as a name for a seasonal wind pattern.

Usage tips

  • Mousson is feminine, so the usual article is la: la mousson.

Other meanings

  • monsoonnoun

Opposites

  • saison sèchedry seasonnoun

Word lists with this word