Bochorno describes a sweltering heat that occurs when humidity is very high and the rate of evaporation is reduced.
It’s that humid, muggy weather that makes us feel like the heat is more unbearable than in places where the air is drier.
That’s because in dry heat sweat evaporates quickly, whereas in humid places the sweat stays on you, keeping you drenched all over.
Bochorno usually comes with that sluggish energy-sapping feeling as well.
You can usually expect to feel bochorno in most coastal areas in Spain during the summer, whereas in the mainland’s central interior (including Madrid) it’s a dry heat.
Bochorno also occurs when it’s cloudy but hot at the same time.
Interestingly, northern Spain is where relative humidity is highest in the country, so when it actually gets hot there it is particularly muggy.
Nevertheless, people from across Spain may say ¡Qué bochorno! when they get a hot flash that makes them want to gasp for air and dunk their head underwater.
READ ALSO: ‘Sweating like a chicken’ – 18 Spanish phrases to moan about the heat like a local
Bochorno has another meaning in Spanish: shame, disgrace or embarrassment.
There’s also the adjective bochornoso, used to describe something disgraceful or embarrassing more often than not.
Examples:
¡Qué calor! No hay quien aguante este bochorno.
It’s so hot! Don’t know how anyone can put up with this humidity.
Hace bochorno, estoy empapado de sudor.
It’s sweltering, I’m covered in sweat.
¡Qué bochorno! Prefiero el calor seco de Madrid.
It’s so muggy! I prefer the dry heat of Madrid.
La invasión de campo de los hooligans ha sido bochornosa.
The hooligans’ pitch invasion was disgraceful.
My Andalusian partner taught me that word and it has become a favorite. It also is the most Italian sounding word that I have heard in Castilian Spanish. Great piece!