Tornado Meaning
/tɔː(ɹ)ˈneɪ.dəʊ/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA violent wind in the form of a mobile, rapidly rotating, funnel cloud that has contacted the ground.
verbTo sweep through something violently.
Sentence Examples
There was a tornado in the village.
The tornado destroyed the whole village.
The tornado touched down two kilometers from my school.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The weather forecaster warned that a massive ____ was approaching the city.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
A violent ____ touched down in the rural area, causing significant damage to several small houses and barns today.
Word Origin & History
From earlier English ternado, attested since the 1550s as a nautical term for a windy thunderstorm. From Spanish tronada (“thunderstorm”), from tronar (“to thunder”), from Latin tonō (“to thunder”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tenh₂- (“to thunder”). The o and r were reversed in English (metathesis) under influence of Spanish tornar (“to twist, to turn”), from Latin tornō (“to turn”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"An extreme version of vorticity is a vortex. The vortex is a spinning, cyclonic mass of fluid, which can be observed in the rotation of water going down a drain, as well as in smoke rings, tornados and hurricanes."
— 2013 March 26, Frank Fish, George Lauder, “Not Just Going with the Flow”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 2, archived from the original on 01 May 2013, page 114:
"Some of the same areas hit by tornadoes just a little over a week ago are expecting severe storms again Monday afternoon and evening. […] A multiday severe weather outbreak is possible Monday through Wednesday, increasing the already-above average tornado count even higher."
— 2024 May 5, Allison Chinchar, “Multiday severe weather threat could continue tornado streak this week”, in CNN, archived from the original on 15 May 2024:
"And so on Friday nights, James Torin tornadoed through six beers, a carton of cigarettes, a coffee table littered with lottery tickets, and unrequited dreams."
— 2012, Robin Nicole, For the Sake of Appearances:
"They come every night,
those cavernous trains, tornadoing
the frozen house,
a madness feeling for the door."
— 2015, James Richardson, Reservations: Poems, page 5:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The weather forecaster warned that a massive ____ was approaching the city.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
A violent ____ touched down in the rural area, causing significant damage to several small houses and barns today.