#pluvial

As the holy season approaches, we begin to long for music that makes our souls sing, while avoiding any saccharine sweetness.  This year’s albums are united not by institutional frames, but by their spiritual tone. Listeners may feel their hearts moved, encounter a revelation, or experience a sense of calm. These composers continue to cross boundaries and challenge assumptions of what spiritual…

[ ploo-vee-uh l ]

adjective

1. of or relating to rain

2. characterized by abundant rainfall

3. Geology. (of a geologic location) resulting from rain

noun

4. Geology. a rainy period formerly regarded as coeval with a glacial age, but now recognized as episodic and, in the tropics, as characteristic of interglacial ages

5. Archaic. a type of long cloak used by clerics in the 17th century to shield against rain during processions

synonyms

hyetal

diluvial

rainy

stormy

wet

origin

1650s-; from Latin pluvialis, from pluvia ‘rain’

example

Squinting through the third downpour on her long drive, Mary wished the gps hadn’t taken her through such a pluvial area.

related forms

Landscape Language Pluvial (adj) – pertaining to rain, rainy Sunny, dry summers can almost make us forget that the Pacific Northwest has a primarily pluvial environment. In other words, it rains here. A lot. However, pluvial weather is a welcome change from fire weather. Are you enjoying the return of rain?