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cumulus

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cu⋅mu⋅lus

  [kyoo-myuh-luhs]
–noun, plural -lus.
1. a heap; pile.
2. a cloud of a class characterized by dense individual elements in the form of puffs, mounds, or towers, with flat bases and tops that often resemble cauliflower: as such clouds develop vertically, they form cumulonimbus.
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Origin:
1650–60; < NL (L: mass, pile)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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cu·mu·lus   (kyōōm'yə-ləs)   
n.   pl. cu·mu·li (-lī')

  1. A dense, white, fluffy, flat-based cloud with a multiple rounded top and a well-defined outline, usually formed by the ascent of thermally unstable air masses.

  2. A pile, mound, or heap.


[Latin, heap; see keuə- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

cumulus 
1659, "a heap," from L. cumulus "heap," from PIE *ku-m-olo-, suffixed shortened form of base *keue- "to swell" (cf. Skt. svayati "swells up, is strong," Gk. kyein "to swell," Lith. šaunas "firm, solid, fit, capable"). Meteorological use for "rounded mass of clouds" first attested 1803.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: cu·mu·lus
Pronunciation: 'kyü-my&-l&s
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural cu·mu·li /-"lI,-"lE/
: the projecting mass of granulosa cells that bears the developing ovum in a graafian follicle called also discus proligerus
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Science Dictionary
cumulus   (kym'yə-ləs)  Pronunciation Key 
Plural cumuli (kym'yə-lī')
A dense, white, fluffy cloud with a flat base, a multiple rounded top, and a well-defined outline. The bases of cumulus clouds form primarily in altitudes below 2,000 m (6,560 ft), but their tops can reach much higher. Cumulus clouds are generally associated with fair weather but can also bring rain when they expand to higher levels. The clouds' edges are well-defined when they are composed of water droplets and fuzzy when made up of ice crystals. See illustration at cloud.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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