storm
pronunciation
How to pronounce storm in British English:
UK [stɔːm]
How to pronounce storm in American English:
US [stɔːrm]
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- Noun:
- a violent weather condition with winds 64-72 knots (11 on the Beaufort scale) and precipitation and thunder and lightening
- a violent commotion or disturbance
- a direct and violent assault on a stronghold
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- Verb:
- behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
- take by force
- rain, hail, or snow hard and be very windy, often with thunder or lightning
- blow hard
- attack by storm; attack suddenly
Word Origin
- storm
- storm: [OE] Etymologically, a storm is probably a ‘violent disturbance or agitation’; its meteorological connotations appear to be a secondary development. The word comes from a prehistoric Germanic *sturmaz (source also of German sturm and Dutch, Swedish, and Danish storm). This was probably formed from the base *stur- ‘disturbance, agitation’, which also lies behind English stir.=> stir
- storm (n.)
- Old English storm "violent disturbance of the atmosphere, tempest; onrush, attack, tumult; disturbance," from Proto-Germanic *sturmaz "storm" (cognates: Old Norse stormr, Old Saxon, Middle Low German, Middle Dutch, Dutch storm, Old High German sturm, German Sturm), from PIE *stur-mo-, from root *(s)twer- (1) "to turn, whirl." Old French estour "onset, tumult," Italian stormo "a fight" are Germanic loan-words. Figurative (non-meteorological) sense was in late Old English. Storm-wind is from 1798. Storm-door first recorded 1872; storm-water is from 1847; storm-window is attested from 1824. Storm surge attested from 1872. Adverbial phrase _______ up a storm is from 1946.
- storm (v.)
- of the wind, "to rage, be violent," c. 1400, considered to be from storm (n.). Old English had styrman, cognate with Dutch stormen, Old High German sturman, German stürmen, Danish storme, Military sense "attack (a place) by scaling walls and forcing gates" (1640s) first attested in writings of Oliver Cromwell. Related: Stormed; storming. Italian stormire "make a noise" is from Germanic.
Antonym
Example
- 1. The decision has kicked up a storm of controversy .
- 2. What 's more worrisome is the suggestion of new economic headwinds : does cisco see another storm coming ?
- 3. There are broadly two factors behind the credit storm .
- 4. The storm closed highways in idaho and wyoming .
- 5. Storm damage and erosion are most severe there .