typhoon

[ tahy-foon ]
/ taɪˈfun /

noun

a tropical cyclone or hurricane of the western Pacific area and the China seas.
a violent storm or tempest of India.
(initial capital letter) Military.
  1. a single-engine British ground attack aircraft of World War II.
  2. NATO's name for a class of nuclear-powered Soviet ballistic missile submarine carrying 20 multiwarhead missiles.

Origin of typhoon

1580–90; < dialectal Chinese, akin to Chinese dàfēng great wind, altered by association with Greek tȳphôn violent wind

OTHER WORDS FROM typhoon

ty·phon·ic [tahy-fon-ik] /taɪˈfɒn ɪk/, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH typhoon

cyclone hurricane tidal wave tornado tsunami typhoon

Example sentences from the Web for typhoon

British Dictionary definitions for typhoon

typhoon
/ (taɪˈfuːn) /

noun

a violent tropical storm or cyclone, esp in the China seas and W Pacific
a violent storm of India

Derived forms of typhoon

typhonic (taɪˈfɒnɪk), adjective

Word Origin for typhoon

C16: from Chinese tai fung great wind, from tai great + fung wind; influenced by Greek tuphōn whirlwind

Scientific definitions for typhoon

typhoon
[ tī-fōōn ]

A violent cyclonic storm occurring in the western Pacific Ocean. See Note at cyclone.

Cultural definitions for typhoon

typhoon

In meteorology, a type of cyclone occurring in the western regions of the Pacific Ocean.

notes for typhoon

A typhoon is similar to a hurricane in levels of destructiveness.