- Bise
=France=
The bise is a northern wind, cold and generally dry, that blows from the north-east of
France to the south of theMassif Central , where it is called "bise noire" ("black bise"). The bise can also come from the north-east inTouraine andQuercy and even from the east inDeux-Sèvres .Blowing year-round, the bise is usually accompanied by clear blue skies. However, it can sometimes bring heavy black clouds, storms and hail in autumn and winter.
In colloquial French, the word "bise" also means a light kiss, usually given to a friend in greeting or before parting.
witzerland
In
Switzerland the bise blows from the north-east, above all during the winter months, and is due to a high-pressure cell north-west ofSwitzerland . [Martin Beniston, "From Turbulence to Climate: Numerical Investigations of the Atmosphere", Springer 1998, ISBN 3540634959, p.186] The effects of the bise are strongest inGeneva , situated in a narrow passage between the Jura mountains in the West and the Alps in the South. Many foreign travellers to this Swiss city have commented upon it. [Fredrika Bremer, "Two Years in Switzerland and Italy", Hurst and Blackett 1861, p.258] ["The Century: A Popular Quarterly" by Making of America Project,The Century Co. 1909, p.463]Etymology
The term entered Middle English from French "bise". Its origin is unknown. [W. R. Trumble; A. Stevenson, eds.,"Shorter Oxford Dictionary", Oxford University Press 2002] The Alemannic Wikipedia article "Biise" claims it to derive from Old Alemannic "bîsa" of unknown meaning. [ [http://als.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bise Biise (Article in Alemannic German)] ]
References
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