tornado

[tawr-ney-doh] /tɔrˈneɪ doʊ/

noun, plural tornadoes, tornados.

a localized, violently destructive windstorm occurring over land, especially in the Middle West, and characterized by a long, funnel-shaped cloud extending toward the ground and made visible by condensation and debris.

Compare waterspout (def 3).

a violent squall or whirlwind of small extent, as one of those occurring during the summer on the west coast of Africa.

a violent outburst, as of emotion or activity.

(initial capital letter) Military. a supersonic, two-seat, multipurpose military aircraft produced jointly by West Germany, Britain, and Italy and capable of flying in darkness and bad weather.

Origin

1550-60; apparently by metathesis < Spanish tronada thunderstorm, noun use of feminine of tronado, past participle of tronar < Latin tonāre to thunder; replacing 16th-century ternado, with unexplained e

Related forms

tornadic

[tawr-nad-ik, -ney-dik] /tɔrˈnæd ɪk, -ˈneɪ dɪk/ (Show IPA), adjective

tornadolike, adjective

Can be confused

cyclone, hurricane, tidal wave, tornado, tsunami, typhoon.

Examples from the web for tornadoes

We try to protect ourselves against volcanoes and tornadoes, but they overcome us despite our best precautions.
Floods, tornadoes are catching lot of limelight and attention.
She unrolled her window and flung the pit into a wind suddenly heavy with a smell of tornadoes.
When a hurricane grows as powerful as this, it will actually carry tornadoes inside it.
Add in methods for controlling hurricanes, tornadoes, and other destructive natural phenomena.
There is no cost effective way to prevent earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes and other natural calamities.
Or calming tornadoes by directing energy beams to one side to disrupt the air flow.
When waters are still warm, but morning air is growing frigid, little tornadoes of steam can form on lake surfaces.
After a spring filled with reports of devastating floods and tornadoes, another climatological disaster is taking shape.
We did a stormy version of the dress that was inspired by tornadoes.

British Dictionary definitions for tornadoes

tornado

/tɔːˈneɪdəʊ/

noun (pl) -does, -dos

Also called cyclone, (US and Canadian informal) twister. a violent storm with winds whirling around a small area of extremely low pressure, usually characterized by a dark funnel-shaped cloud causing damage along its path

a small but violent squall or whirlwind, such as those occurring on the West African coast

any violently active or destructive person or thing

(often capital) a type of dinghy, designed to be crewed by two people

Derived Forms

tornadic (tɔːˈnædɪk) adjective
tornado-like, adjective

Word Origin

C16: probably alteration of Spanish tronada thunderstorm (from tronar to thunder, from Latin tonāre), through influence of tornar to turn, from Latin tornāre to turn in a lathe

Word Origin and History for tornadoes

tornado

1550s, navigator's word for violent windy thunderstorm in the tropical Atlantic, probably a mangled borrowing from Spanish tronada "thunderstorm," from tronar "to thunder," from Latin tonare "to thunder" (see thunder). Metathesis of -o- and -r- in modern spelling influenced by Spanish tornar "to twist, turn," from Latin tornare "to turn." Meaning "extremely violent whirlwind" is first found 1620s.

tornadoes in Science

tornado

(tôr-nā'dō)
A violently rotating column of air extending from a cumulonimbus cloud to the Earth, ranging in width from a few meters to more than a kilometer and whirling at speeds between 64 km (40 mi) and 509 km (316 mi) per hour or higher with comparable updrafts in the center of the vortex. The vortex may contain several smaller vortices rotating within it. Tornadoes typically take the form of a twisting, funnel-shaped cloud extending downward from storm clouds, often reaching the ground, and dissolving into thin, ropelike clouds as the tornado dissipates. Tornadoes may travel from a few dozen meters to hundreds of kilometers along the ground. Tornadoes usually form in the tail end of violent thunderstorms, with weaker funnels sometimes forming in groups along a leading squall line of an advancing cold front or in areas near a hurricane. The strongest tornadoes, which may last several hours and travel hundreds of kilometers, can cause massive destruction in a relatively narrow strip along their path. The causes of tornado formation are not well understood.

tornadoes in Culture

tornado definition

In meteorology, a storm in which high-speed winds move in a funnel-shaped pattern.

Note: Tornadoes occur chiefly during thunderstorms.

Note: If the tip of the funnel touches the ground, it can cause extensive damage.

Note: Tornadoes are common in the Middle West.