squall

1 [skwawl]
noun
1.
a sudden, violent gust of wind, often accompanied by rain, snow, or sleet.
2.
a sudden disturbance or commotion.
verb (used without object)
3.
to blow as a squall.

Origin:
1690–1700; perhaps special use of squall2

squall·ish, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged

squall

2 [skwawl]
verb (used without object)
1.
to cry or scream loudly and violently: The hungry baby began to squall.
verb (used with object)
2.
to utter in a screaming tone.
noun
3.
the act or sound of squalling: The baby's squall was heard next door.

Origin:
1625–35; perhaps < Old Norse skvala shriek, cry; compare Swedish, Norwegian skvala splash, stream

squall·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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00:10
Squall is one of our favorite verbs.
So is absquatulate. Does it mean:
to flee; abscond:
to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax.
Collins
World English Dictionary
squall1 (skwɔːl) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  a sudden strong wind or brief turbulent storm
2.  any sudden commotion or show of temper
 
vb
3.  (intr) to blow in a squall
 
[C18: perhaps a special use of squall²]
 
'squallish1
 
adj
 
'squally1
 
adj

squall2 (skwɔːl) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
vb
1.  (intr) to cry noisily; yell
 
n
2.  a shrill or noisy yell or howl
 
[C17: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Icelandic skvala to shout; see squeal]
 
'squaller2
 
n

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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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

squall
"sudden, violent gust of wind," 1719, originally nautical, probably from a Scand. source (cf. Norw. skval "sudden rush of water," Sw. skvala "to gush, pour down"), probably ult. a derivative of squall (v.).

squall
"cry out loudly," 1631, probably from O.N. skvala "to cry out," of imitative origin (cf. squeal).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
squall   (skwôl)  Pronunciation Key 
A brief, sudden, violent windstorm, often accompanied by rain or snow. A squall is said to occur if a wind having a sustained speed of 40 km (25 mi) per hour lasts at least 1 minute and then decreases rapidly. See also squall line.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

squall

as used by weather forecasters, a sudden wind-speed increase of 8 metres per second (18 miles per hour) or more, for one minute or longer. It includes several briefer wind-speed changes, or gusts. A squall is often named for the weather phenomenon that accompanies it, such as rain, hail, or thunder; a line squall is one associated with a squall line of thunderstorms that is often hundreds of kilometres long.

Learn more about squall with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Example sentences
Straight line winds, found with many squall lines, are more common than tornadoes here.
Here the program opens with the rumble of thunder up close, followed by the squall of a fanfare for shofars.
Squall lines have long been recognized as producers of severe weather.
In the wee hours, a sudden snow squall descended on the mountain, smothering
  the climbers in blowing snow.
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