favonian

adjective

fa·​vo·​ni·​an fə-ˈvō-nē-ən 

: of or relating to the west wind : mild

Did you know?

In "Ode to the West Wind," poet Percy Bysshe Shelley called the "wild West Wind" the "breath of Autumn's being." But according to Greco-Roman tradition, the west wind was warm and usually gentle. Its Latin name, Favonius, is the basis for the English adjective "favonian" and derives from roots that are akin to the Latin fovēre, meaning "to warm." "Zephyros," a Greek name for the west wind, is the ultimate source of zephyr, meaning "a gentle breeze." In Greco-Roman tradition, it was the north wind, Boreas (aka Aquilo), who was the rude and blustery type.

Word History

Etymology

Latin favonianus, from Favonius, the west wind

First Known Use

circa 1681, in the meaning defined above

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