Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A cold north wind of the Swiss Alps and nearby regions of France and Italy.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A dry cold north and northeast wind, prevailing especially in Provence and the Rhône valley, and very destructive to vegetation, so that “to be struck by the bise” has become a proverb in Provence, meaning to be overtaken by misfortune: nearly the same as
mistral .
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A cold north wind which prevails on the northern coasts of the Mediterranean and in Switzerland, etc.; -- nearly the same as the
mistral . - noun (Paint.) See
bice .
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Alternative form of
bice (blue pigment)
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a dry cold north wind in southeastern France
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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A wind called the bise had been blowing for the last twenty-four hours, and when we left Vevey the gale was so strong, that the steam-boat had great difficulty in getting ahead.
A Residence in France Cooper, J Fenimore 1836
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Obama is wildly popular in France, in contrast to his predecessor George W. Bush, but he appeared slightly at sea with the complicated customs regarding the "bise," the kiss on the cheeks often given as a greeting even between relative strangers.
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Obama is wildly popular in France, in contrast to his predecessor George W. Bush, but he appeared slightly at sea with the complicated customs regarding the "bise," the kiss on the cheeks often given as a greeting even between relative strangers.
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The root of a small creeper called "bise" is dug up and eaten.
A Popular Account of Dr. Livingstone's Expedition to the Zambesi and its tributaries And of the Discovery of Lakes Shirwa and Nyassa, 1858-1864 David Livingstone 1843
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Obama is wildly popular in France, in contrast to his predecessor George W. Bush, but he appeared slightly at sea with the complicated customs regarding the "bise," the kiss on the cheeks often given as a greeting even between relative strangers.
Reuters: Top News 2009
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While the President of the United States may have been unaware of the French custom of "bise", the kiss on the cheeks given as a greeting, offering Carla Sarkozy, the wife of the French president, a firm hand instead of warm cheek, he was briefed on
unknown title 2009
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George W. Bush, but he appeared slightly at sea with the complicated customs regarding the "bise," the kiss on the cheeks often given as a greeting even between relative strangers.
Yahoo! News: Latest news headlines News Headlines | Top Stories 2009
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Obama is wildly popular in France, in contrast to his predecessor George W. Bush, but he appeared slightly at sea with the complicated customs regarding the "bise," the kiss on the cheeks often given as a greeting even between relative strangers.
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Just before his encounter with Dervogne, Obama did not offer the "bise" to Sarkozy's wife Carla, preferring to shake hands formally.
Yahoo! News: Latest news headlines News Headlines | Top Stories 2009
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Just before his encounter with Dervogne, Obama did not offer the "bise" to Sarkozy's wife Carla, preferring to shake hands formally.
Reuters: Top News 2009
inktree commented on the word bise
The bise is a northern wind, cold and generally dry, that blows from the north-east of France to the south of the Massif Central, where it is called bise noire ("black bise").
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.
August 19, 2009