cirrus

[sir-uh s] /ˈsɪr əs/
noun, plural cirrus for 1, cirri
[sir-ahy] /ˈsɪr aɪ/ (Show IPA), for 2, 3.
1.
Meteorology.
  1. a cloud of a class characterized by thin white filaments or narrow bands and a composition of ice crystals: of high altitude, about 20,000–40,000 feet (6000–12,000 meters).
  2. a cirriform cloud.
2.
Botany. a tendril.
3.
Zoology.
  1. a filament or slender appendage serving as a foot, tentacle, barbel, etc.
  2. the male copulatory organ of flatworms and various other invertebrates.
Origin
1700-10; < Latin: a curl, tuft, plant filament like a tuft of hair
Examples from the web for cirrus
  • The sun is blazing from a blue sky feathered lightly with cirrus cloud.
  • Aircraft emissions can affect the properties of cirrus clouds, contributing to climate change.
  • On the left is shown the histogram of cirrus cloud optical depth frequency.
British Dictionary definitions for cirrus

cirrus

/ˈsɪrəs/
noun (pl) -ri (-raɪ)
1.
(meteorol) a thin wispy fibrous cloud at high altitudes, composed of ice particles
2.
a plant tendril or similar part
3.
(zoology)
  1. a slender tentacle or filament in barnacles and other marine invertebrates
  2. a hairlike structure in other animals, such as a filament on the appendage of an insect or a barbel of a fish
Word Origin
C18: from Latin: curl, tuft, fringe
Word Origin and History for cirrus
n.

1708, "curl-like fringe or tuft," from Latin cirrus "a lock of hair, tendril, curl, ringlet of hair; the fringe of a garment." In meteorology, cirrus clouds attested from 1803. So called from fancied resemblance of shape.

cirrus in Science
cirrus
  (sîr'əs)   
Plural cirri (sîr'ī')
A high-altitude cloud composed of feathery white patches or bands of ice crystals. Cirrus clouds generally form between 6,100 and 12,200 m (20,000 and 40,000 ft). See illustration at cloud.