Main Entry:

si·roc·co

Variant(s):

also sci·roc·co \shə-ˈrä-(ˌ)kō, sə-\

Function:

noun

Inflected Form(s):

plural si·roc·cos

Etymology:

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

Date:

1617

1 a: 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 regions2: a hot or warm wind of cyclonic origin from an arid or heated region