The Windy Word History of the Mistral

Hello,

I love that certain winds have special names. In various countries you will be blown about by a zephyr, sirocco, chinook, or mistral. Mistral was the first one I came across, in a TV series when I was young and I was very taken by the idea.

The mistral is a strong, cold north-westerly wind that blows through the Rhône valley and southern France into the Mediterranean, mainly in winter. It’s such a strong wind that church bell towers in the Provence region of France are built in an open fashion to allow the wind to pass through rather than potentially cause damage to the structures. Provence inhabitants love to name their winds. You’ll find a full list here, but the ones you’ll recognise are the mistral and the sirocco.

The mistral typically blows for a couple of days or up to a week, often when the seasons are changing. It can cause sea storms and with wind-speeds of up to 185kph or 115mph it is treated with respect in the region.

The mistral entered the English language around 1600s from French but the name itself really comes from the Provençal language where it translates as “the dominant wind” with thanks to a little Latin. In Latin the word magistralis means dominant and comes from magister (master). The mistral knows it is in charge and it’s not a wind to mess with if it’s blowing towards you.

Clear sky – is the mistral blowing?

The summer mistral can sometimes spread forest fires but usually is associated with clear skies and the type of light beloved by the many artists who flocked to Provence through the centuries.

Until next time happy reading, writing, and wordfooling,

Grace (@Wordfoolery)