उमस (umas)

noun A single-sense noun naming the sticky, humid, oppressive heat felt before rain -- one of Hindi's precise weather words with no clean one-word English match.

Sense 1 : sultry, humid heat

noun, feminine Almost always used with होना (honaa) or लगना (lagnaa), e.g. उमस होना (umas honaa, 'to be sultry/humid') or उमस लगना (umas lagnaa, 'to feel the sultriness') -- the feeling is described as something that happens to a person or a place, not an action anyone performs.

Synonyms: गर्मी (garmii, covers heat generally, not specifically humid heat), भाप (bhaap, rare, evokes steaminess more than weather)

Frequency: high

Cultural Note: This is the word every Delhi-NCR household reaches for in July and August, right before the monsoon breaks -- the air feels thick, fans stop helping, and people say बहुत उमस है (bahut umas hai, 'it's very sultry/humid') on the balcony while waiting for rain. It captures a very specific sensory experience that English speakers usually have to describe with a whole phrase like 'sticky heat' or 'humidity.'

Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for गर्मी (garmii) to mean 'it's so hot and sticky,' but गर्मी (garmii) just means heat/summer in general -- उमस (umas) specifically points to that heavy, sweaty, can't-breathe humidity, usually right before monsoon rain. 2) Because the discomfort is felt by a person, sentences often use a को-marked experiencer, e.g. मुझे उमस लग रही है (mujhe umas lag rahii hai, 'I'm feeling the sultriness') -- learners sometimes try to make themselves the subject with a verb like 'feel' when the dative-experiencer frame is more native.

Sample Sentences:

आज बहुत उमस है। It's very sultry/humid today.

(aaj bahut umas hai।)

बारिश से पहले उमस बहुत बढ़ जाती है। The humidity increases a lot right before it rains.

(baarish se pahle umas bahut badh jaatii hai।)

कल रातभर उमस की वजह से नींद नहीं आई। I couldn't sleep all night yesterday because of the humidity.

(kal raatbhar umas kii vajah se niind nahiin aaii।)

पंखा चल रहा है फिर भी उमस लग रही है। The fan is running, yet it still feels sultry.

(pankhaa chal rahaa hai phir bhii umas lag rahii hai।)

अगर उमस इतनी न होती, तो शाम की सैर अच्छी रहती। If the humidity hadn't been this bad, the evening walk would have been nice.

(agar umas itnii n hotii, to shaam kii sair achchhii rahtii।)

छत पर बैठो मत, वहाँ बहुत उमस होगी। Don't sit on the roof, it'll be very humid up there.

(chhat par baitho mat, vahaan bahut umas hogii।)

उमस के मारे कपड़े शरीर से चिपक रहे थे। Because of the sultriness, the clothes were sticking to my body.

(umas ke maare kapde shariir se chipak rahe the।)

शायद बादल छाए हैं इसलिए इतनी उमस हो रही है। Maybe the clouds have gathered, that's why it's this humid.

(shaayad baadal chhaae hain islie itnii umas ho rahii hai।)

दिल्ली की मॉनसून-पूर्व उमस हर साल असहनीय हो जाती है। Delhi's pre-monsoon humidity becomes unbearable every year.

(dillii kii monsoon-poorv umas har saal asahniiy ho jaatii hai।)

उमस के कारण दुकान में सामान जल्दी खराब हो जाता है। Because of the humidity, goods in the shop spoil quickly.

(umas ke kaaran dukaan men saamaan jaldii kharaab ho jaataa hai।)

इतनी उमस में तो साँस लेना भी भारी लगता है। In humidity like this, even breathing feels heavy.

(itnii umas men to saans lenaa bhii bhaarii lagtaa hai।)

Morphology

Noun

(sg.f.direct): उमस (umas)

(sg.f.oblique): उमस (umas)

(pl.f.direct): उमसें (umsen)

(pl.f.oblique): उमसों (umson)