si·moom  (sĭ-mōōm')  n. A strong, hot, sand-laden wind of the Sahara and Arabian deserts: "Stephen's heart had withered up like a flower of the desert that feels the simoom coming from afar" (James Joyce). Also called samiel. [Arabic samūm, from samma, to poison, from Aramaic sammā, drug, poison; see šmm in Semitic roots.] |
simoom
extremely hot and dry local wind in Arabia and the Sahara. Its temperature often reaches 55 C (about 130 F), and the humidity of the air sometimes falls below 10 percent. It is caused by intensive ground heating under a cloudless sky. Simoom is an Arabic word that means "poison wind." It refers to the wind's tendency to cause heatstroke as it brings more heat to the human body than is removed by the evaporation of perspiration.
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