typhoon Hear it!

typhoon definition

ty·phoon (tī fo̵̅o̅n′)

noun

any violent tropical cyclone originating in the W Pacific, esp. in the South China Sea

Etymology: < Chin dial. tai-fung, lit., great wind (or < ? Tai, Formosa: hence, Formosa wind); merged with earlier tuphan, tufan < Port tufão < Ar tūfān < Gr typhōn, hurricane, akin to typhos: see typhus

Related Forms:

  • typhonic ty·phon′ic (-fän′ik) adjective

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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