El Niño

noun

El Ni·​ño el-ˈnē-nyō How to pronounce El Niño (audio)
plural El Niños
: an irregularly recurring flow of unusually warm surface waters from the Pacific Ocean toward and along the western coast of South America that prevents upwelling of nutrient-rich cold deep water and that disrupts typical regional and global weather patterns compare la niña

Did you know?

Each year around Christmas time, a warm equatorial current flows southward along the coast of Peru. In the 19th century, Peruvian fisherman named that annual current "El Niño" in honor of the Christ child (el niño means "the child" in Spanish). Later, when scientists noted that in some years this warm current flow is more intense than usual, they adopted the name and applied it to that more potent but erratic climatic phenomenon. Now El Niño is used almost exclusively for the severe episodes rather than for the annual ones to which it was originally applied.

Examples of El Niño in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Recall that the historically strong El Nino in 2015-2016 still delivered a historic snowstorm in January. Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2023 The switch from La Nina in 2022 to El Nino conditions in 2023 will likely also have a major impact on water cycles around the world, the researchers said. Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2023 Though El Nino is playing a part, climate change has a bigger footprint in this warmth, Buontempo said. Seth Borenstein, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2023 Fall may have just begun, but meteorologists are already looking at the upcoming winter season's forecast with the help of El Nino. Max Golembo, ABC News, 25 Sep. 2023 The increase in weather disasters is consistent with what climate scientists have long been saying, along with a possible boost from a natural El Nino, University of Arizona climate scientist Katharine Jacobs said. Seth Borenstein, Fortune, 11 Sep. 2023 Mahamud said the climate crisis and this year’s El Nino weather pattern – which brings warmer, wetter weather to parts of the world – are worsening the problem. Helen Regan, CNN, 7 Sep. 2023 In January 1993, considered one of the milder El Nino years, Camp Pendleton Marine Corps base shut down after 11 consecutive days of rain to deal with water 15 feet deep on the air station and parts of Vandegrift Boulevard. Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Sep. 2023 Usually an El Nino, which started earlier this year, adds extra heat to global temperatures but more so in its second year. Jamey Keaten, Fortune, 6 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'El Niño.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, literally, the child (i.e., the Christ child); from the appearance of the flow at the Christmas season

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of El Niño was in 1896

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Dictionary Entries Near El Niño

Cite this Entry

“El Niño.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/El%20Ni%C3%B1o. Accessed 30 Nov. 2023.

Kids Definition

El Niño

noun
El Ni·​ño el-ˈnē-nyō How to pronounce El Niño (audio)
plural El Niños
: an irregularly occurring flow of unusually warm surface water along the western coast of South America that disrupts the normal regional and global weather patterns compare la niña
Etymology

Spanish, "the child" (referring to the Christ child); from the appearance of the flow at the Christmas season

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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