Tornado
Pronunciation
- enPR: tô(r)-nÄ'dÅ, IPA: /tÉ”Ë(ɹ)ˈneɪ.dəʊ/
Origin
From Spanish tronada (thunderstorm), from tronar (to thunder), from Latin tonare (to thunder), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tene- (to thunder). The 'o' and 'r' were reversed in English (metathesis) under influence of Spanish tornar (to twist, to turn), from Latin tornare (to turn).
Full definition of tornado
Noun
- (meteorology) A violent windstorm characterized by a twisting, funnel-shaped cloud.
- 2013-03, Frank Fish, George Lauder, Not Just Going with the Flow, An extreme version of vorticity is a vortex. The vortex is a spinning, cyclonic mass of fluid, which can be observed in the rotation of water going down a drain, as well as in smoke rings, tornados and hurricanes.
- A tornado is a rotating column of air, pendant from a cumulonimbus cloud, and nearly always observable as a funnel cloud or tuba. Its vortex, meters in diameter, rotates counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere, and clockwise in the southern hemisphere, with wind speeds of 160 to more than 480 kilometres per hour.
Derived terms
- tornado watch, tornado warning (A tornado watch means that conditions are favorable for producing a tornado. A tornado warning means that a tornado has been sighted in the area or has been detected on radar.)
- tornado shelter