Levant and Ponent Winds
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
The east wind is the Levant, and the west wind the Ponent. The former is from Lat. levare, to raise (sun- rise), and the latter from ponere, to set (sunset).
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Levant and Ponent Winds” mean?
The east wind is the Levant, and the west wind the Ponent. The former is from Lat. levare, to raise (sun- rise), and the latter from ponere, to set (sunset).
Is “Levant and Ponent Winds” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.