tornado
noun
[ tɔːˈneɪdəʊ ]
• a mobile, destructive vortex of violently rotating winds having the appearance of a funnel-shaped cloud and advancing beneath a large storm system.
Similar:
whirlwind,
windstorm,
cyclone,
typhoon,
tropical storm/cyclone,
tempest,
dust devil,
storm,
superstorm,
hurricane,
gale,
squall,
twister,
Origin:
mid 16th century (denoting a violent thunderstorm of the tropical Atlantic Ocean): perhaps an alteration of Spanish tronada ‘thunderstorm’ (from tronar ‘to thunder’) by association with Spanish tornar ‘to turn’.
