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Definition of trade winds noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

trade winds

noun
 
/ˈtreɪd wɪndz/
 
/ˈtreɪd wɪndz/
[plural]
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  1. strong winds that blow all the time towards the equator and then to the west
    • The trade winds originate in the South Pacific.
    Word Originmid 17th cent.: from the phrase blow trade ‘blow steadily in the same direction’. Because of the importance of these winds to navigation, 18th-cent. etymologists mistakenly connected the word trade with “commerce”.
See trade winds in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
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Nearby words

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noun
 
 
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