Haar

/hɑːr/ noun

Definition

A cold sea fog or mist that rolls in from the ocean, particularly common along coastal areas of Scotland and northeastern England.

Etymology

From Dutch 'haar' meaning hair or fine mist, related to Old Norse 'hærr'. The word traveled through maritime trade routes and settled into Northern European coastal vocabulary, metaphorically describing how the fog appears thin and wispy like hair.

Kelly Says

Fishermen and sailors developed incredibly specific words for different types of fog—haar is almost poetic in how it captures that particular cold Atlantic mist that feels more like a damp veil than a cloud.

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