[wind] 
| 1. | Also, trade winds. Also called trades. any of the nearly constant easterly winds that dominate most of the tropics and subtropics throughout the world, blowing mainly from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere, and from the southeast in the Southern Hemisphere. |
| 2. | any wind that blows in one regular course, or continually in the same direction. |
| trade wind (wĭnd) n. Any of a consistent system of prevailing winds occupying most of the tropics, constituting the major component of the general circulation of the atmosphere, and blowing northeasterly in the Northern Hemisphere and southeasterly in the Southern Hemisphere. Often used in the plural. [From obsolete to blow trade, to blow in a regular course, from trade, regular course (obsolete).] |
trade wind
persistent wind that blows westward and toward the Equator from the subtropical high-pressure belts toward the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ). It is stronger and more consistent over the oceans than over land and often produces partly cloudy sky conditions, characterized by shallow cumulus clouds, or clear skies that make trade-wind islands popular tourist resorts. Its average speed is about 5 to 6 metres per second (11 to 13 miles per hour) but can increase to speeds of 13 metres per second (30 miles per hour) or more. The trade winds were named by the crews of sailing ships that depended on the winds during westward ocean crossings.
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