Fwd: "mistral, n." - Word of the Day from the OED

[Dave Monroe]

maijstral
311; Majjistral is Maltese for "north-west or the north-west wind"

Maijstral, Carla (d. 1956)

318; "young wife" of Fausto Sr.; contemplated suicide, 319, 483; 321; 478; 489

Maijstral, Fausto

291; father of Paola; 294; 303; confessions of, 304-46; working at Ta
Kali airfield, 315; "I know of machines that are more complex than
people." 322; 444

Maijstral, "old" (Fausto Sr.) (d. ca 1953)
305; shipfitter and spy in Malta for the F.O.; husband of Carla and
father of Jr.; 318; 467; w/S. Stencil acting as his spy/double agent,
478

Maijstral, Paola

14; Maltese wife of Pappy Hod but leaves him; was a barmaid in the
Metropolitan Bar in Malta, now at Sailor's Grave; "The girl lived
proper nouns. Persons, places. No things." 51; "taken to disappearing
for two to three days," 221; "had the passive look of an object of
sadism, something to be attired in various inanimate costumes and
fetishes, tortured, subjected to the weird indignities of Pig's
catalogue," 221; 287; 303; 314; 316; 330-31; 365; return to Malta,
367; attempted rape by Pig, 370-71; 416; departs for Malta, 422-23;
reunion with Poppy, gives him ivory comb, 442-43; Etymology of Paola

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Subject: "mistral, n." - Word of the Day from the OED
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Your word for today is: mistral, n.

mistral, n.
[‘ A strong, cold, north-westerly wind blowing through the Rhône
valley and southern France into the Mediterranean, mainly in winter.’]
Pronunciation: Brit. /ˈmɪstr(ə)l/, /mᵻˈstrɑːl/,  U.S. /ˈmɪstr(ə)l/, /məˈstrɑl/
Forms:   16 mestrall,   17 maestral,   18– mistral.   Also with capital initial.
Etymology: <  French mistral (1625), †maestral (1606), †maistral (1552
in Middle French), †mestral (1544 in Middle French) wind from the
north-west, also in sense ‘the north-west’ (c1525) <  Old Occitan
maestral the north-west (end of the 15th cent.), maistral mistral
(1508; Occitan maiestrau, maïstrau, mistrau, mistral) <  classical
Latin magistrālis magistral n. In spite of the earliest attested
senses in Middle French and Old Occitan, the underlying sense is
usually taken to be ‘master-wind’ and hence ‘wind blowing from the
north-west’ (the mistral); compare Catalan mestral wind from the
north-west (1375), Spanish maestral wind from the north-west (1495),
Italian maestrale maestrale n. Compare also Old Occitan maistre,
maestre wind from the north-west (13th cent.), Catalan maestre, mestre
wind from the north-west (c1300), Old French maistre the north-west
(c1305; see master n.1), Italian maestro maestro n. 2.
N.E.D. (1907) gives only the pronunciations (mi·străl, mistrā·l)
/ˈmɪstrəl/ /mɪˈstrɑːl/.
 1.  A strong, cold, north-westerly wind blowing through the Rhône
valley and southern France into the Mediterranean, mainly in winter.
1604  E. Grimeston tr. J. de Acosta Nat. & Morall Hist. Indies iii. v.
134 Southeast is by them named Xirocque..and his opposite, which is
Norwest; Mestrall they call the northeast.
1766  T. Smollett Trav. France & Italy I. xii. 202 The wind that blew,
is called Maestral, in the Provincial dialect, and indeed is the
severest that ever I felt.
1804  C. B. Brown tr. C. F. de Volney View Soil & Climate U.S.A. 179
The mistral of Provence.
1891  A. Lang Angling Sketches 176 He reached Mentone, and there the
mistral ended him.
1930  R. Campbell Poems 3 The pine-heaving mistral rolls afar The sounding gust.
1958  S. T. Warner Let. 17 Apr. (1982) 165 A terrific mistral that
came sweeping up the Rhone Valley.
1989 Caravan, Motorcaravan & Camping July 71/1 If you are likely to
face the might of the Mistral.., look closely at optional storm guys.
 2.  In form  Mistral. (The name of) a fast train operating between
Paris and Nice from 1950 until 1982. Now hist.
[1950 Cook's Continental Time-Table 14 May 110 Le Mistral
Express—Weekdays only.]
1968  R. Sawkins Snow along Border xix. 168 Don't forget the Mistral
leaves Cannes station at 1.41 p.m. It will get you into Paris-Lyon
just before midnight.
1982 Thomas Cook Continental Timetable 1–22 May 64 From May 23,
sufficient French TGV trains..will be available to run four daily
trains from Paris to the south of France... The present Mistral train
and the 7.52 Paris–Nice will be withdrawn.

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