hurricane
Use Hurricane in a sentence
ɪˌkeɪn, ˈhʌr- noun
1.
a violent, tropical, cyclonic storm of the western North Atlantic, having wind speeds of or in excess of 72 miles per hour (32 m/sec). Compare tropical cyclone, typhoon.
2.
a storm of the most intense severity.
3.
anything suggesting a violent storm.
4.
(initial capital letter) Military. a single-seat British fighter plane of World War II, fitted with eight .303 caliber machine guns and with a top speed in excess of 300 miles per hour (480 km/h).
Origin:
1545–55; < Spanish huracán < Taino hurakán
1545–55; < Spanish huracán < Taino hurakán
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To hurricane
00:10
Hurricane
is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
hurricane (ˈhʌrɪkən, -keɪn) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a severe, often destructive storm, esp a tropical cyclone |
| 2. | a. a wind of force 12 or above on the Beaufort scale |
| b. (as modifier): a wind of hurricane force | |
| 3. | anything acting like such a wind |
| [C16: from Spanish huracán, from Taino hurakán, from hura wind] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
hurricane
1555, a partially deformed adoptation from Sp. huracan (Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo y Valdés, "Historia General y Natural de las Indias," 1547-9), furacan (in the works of Pedro Mártir De Anghiera, chaplain to the court of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella and historian of Spanish explorations),
from an Arawakan (W. Indies) word. In Port., it became furacão. Confusion of initial h- and f- common in Sp. in these years; the conquistador is known in contemporary records as both Hernando and Fernando Cortés. First in Eng. in Richard Eden's "Decades of the New World":
"These tempestes of the ayer (which the Grecians caule Tiphones ...) they caule furacanes."OED records some 39 different spellings, mostly from the late 16c., including forcane, herrycano, harrycain, hurlecane. Modern form became frequent from 1650, established after 1688. Shakespeare uses hurricano ("King Lear," "Troilus and Cressida"), but in reference to waterspouts.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
hurricane (hûr'ĭ-kān') Pronunciation Key
(click for larger image in new window) A severe, rotating tropical storm with heavy rains and cyclonic winds exceeding 74 mi (119 km) per hour, especially such a storm occurring in the Northern Hemisphere. hurricanes originate in the tropical parts of the Atlantic Ocean or the Caribbean Sea and move generally northward. They lose force when they move over land or colder ocean waters. See Note at cyclone. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
hurricane definition
A large tropical storm system with high-powered circular winds. (See cyclone and eye of a hurricane.)
Note: Between July and October, hurricanes cause extensive damage along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States. (See Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.)
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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