williwaw
WILL-ee-waw
A sudden, violent gust of cold wind that descends from a mountainous coast to the sea, without warning. Encountered in the Strait of Magellan, the Aleutian Islands, and other places where steep terrain meets open water. A williwaw can capsize a small boat before the crew has time to react.
Etymology
Origin uncertain — possibly from a sailors' corruption of an Indigenous term, or simply onomatopoeic. The word has been in use since at least the mid-19th century in accounts of sailing the Southern Ocean.
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