tornado

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: tor=na=do

CIDE DICTIONARY

tornado, n. [From Sp. or Pg. tornar to turn, return, L. tornare to turn, hence, a whirling wind. The Sp. & Pg. tornada is a return. See Turn.].

 A violent whirling wind; specifically (Meteorol.), a tempest distinguished by a rapid whirling and slow progressive motion, usually accompaned with severe thunder, lightning, and torrents of rain, and commonly of short duration and small breadth; a small cyclone<-- twister -->.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

tornado, n. (pl. -oes)
1 a violent storm of small extent with whirling winds, esp.: a in West Africa at the beginning and end of the rainy season. b in the US etc. over a narrow path often accompanied by a funnel-shaped cloud.
2 an outburst or volley of cheers, hisses, missiles, etc.

Derivative

tornadic adj.

Etymology

app. assim. of Sp. tronada thunderstorm (f. tronar to thunder) to Sp. tornar to turn

THESAURUS

tornado

baguio, blaze, burst, convulsion, cyclone, dirty weather, dust devil, eruption, explosion, fit, flare-up, foul weather, gale, gust, hurricane, irruption, line squall, outbreak, outburst, paroxysm, rainspout, rainstorm, rotary storm, rough weather, sand column, sandspout, seizure, snowstorm, spasm, squall, storm, stormy weather, tempest, tempestuous rage, thunderstorm, twister, typhoon, upheaval, waterspout, whirlblast, whirlwind, wind eddy, windstorm

ROGET THESAURUS

tornado

Rotation

N rotation, revolution, spinning, gyration, turning about an axis, turning aound an axis, circulation, roll, circumrotation, circumvolution, circumgyration, volutation, circination, turbination, pirouette, convolution, verticity, whir, whirl, eddy, vortex, whirlpool, gurge, countercurrent, Maelstrom, Charybdis, Ixion, cyclone, tornado, whirlwind, dust devil, spin-out, axis, axis of rotation, swivel, pivot, pivot point, axle, spindle, pin, hinge, pole, arbor, bobbin, mandrel, axle shaft, gymbal, hub, hub of rotation, helix, helical motion, angular momentum, angular velocity, revolutions per minute, RPM, centrifugal force, surge, vertigo, dizzy round, coriolus force, carousel, merry-go-round, Ferris wheel, top, dreidel, teetotum, gyroscope, turntable, lazy suzan, screw, whirligig, rollingstone, water wheel, windmill, wheel, pulley wheel, roulette wheel, potter's wheel, pinwheel, gear, roller, flywheel, jack, caster, centrifuge, ultracentrifuge, bench centrifuge, refrigerated centrifuge, gas centrifuge, microfuge, drill, augur, oil rig, wagon wheel, wheel, tire, tyre, trochilics, whirling dervish, rotating, rotary, rotary, circumrotatory, trochilic, vertiginous, gyratory, vortical, vorticose, head over heels, round and round, like a horse in a mill.

Wind

N wind, draught, flatus, afflatus, efflation, eluvium, air, breath, breath of air, puff, whiff, zephyr, blow, breeze, drift, aura, stream, current, jet stream, undercurrent, gust, blast, squall, gale, half a gale, storm, tempest, hurricane, whirlwind, tornado, samiel, cyclone, anticyclone, typhoon, simoon, simoom, harmattan, monsoon, trade wind, sirocco, mistral, bise, tramontane, levanter, capful of wind, fresh breeze, stiff breeze, keen blast, blizzard, barber, candelia, chinook, foehn, khamsin, norther, vendaval, wuther, windiness, ventosity, rough weather, dirty weather, ugly weather, stress of weather, dirty sky, mare's tail, thick squall, black squall, white squall, anemography, aerodynamics, wind gauge, weathercock, vane, weather- vane, wind sock, anemometer, anemoscope, sufflation, insufflation, perflation, inflation, afflation, blowing, fanning, ventilation, sneezing, errhine, sternutative, sternutatory, sternutation, hiccup, hiccough, catching of the breath, Eolus, Boreas, Zephyr, cave of Eolus, air pump, air blower, lungs, bellows, blowpipe, fan, ventilator, punkah, branchiae, gills, flabellum, vertilabrum, whiffle ball, blowing, windy, flatulent, breezy, gusty, squally, stormy, tempestuous, blustering, boisterous, pulmonic, pulmonary, lull'd by soft zephyrs, the storm is up and all is on the hazard, the winds were wither'd in the stagnant air, while mocking winds are piping loud, winged with red lightning and tempestuous rage.