|an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.|
|a fool or simpleton; ninny.|
|mistral (ˈmɪstrəl, mɪˈstrɑːl)|
|1.||a strong cold dry wind that blows through the Rhône valley and S France to the Mediterranean coast, mainly in the winter|
|2.||the class of board used in international windsurfing competitions, weighing 15kg and measuring 372cm × 64cm|
|[C17: via French from Provençal, from Latin magistrālis|
|1.||Frédéric (frederik). 1830--1914, French Provençal poet, who led a movement to revive Provençal language and literature: shared the Nobel prize for literature 1904|
|2.||Gabriela (ɡaˈβrjela), pen name of Lucila Godoy de Alcayaga. 1889--1957, Chilean poet, educationalist, and diplomatist. Her poetry includes the collection Desolación (1922): Nobel prize for literature 1945|
cold and dry, strong wind in southern France that blows down from the north along the lower Rhone River valley toward the Mediterranean Sea. It may blow continuously for several days at a time, attain velocities of about 100 km (60 miles) per hour, and reach to a height of 2 to 3 km. It is strongest and most frequent in winter, and it sometimes causes considerable damage to crops. The velocity of the wind is intensified as it blows down from the highlands to the coast and by the "jet effect" that results as it is funneled through the narrow Rhone valley.
Learn more about mistral with a free trial on Britannica.com.