Hypertext Webster Gateway: "Tornado"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Tornado \Tor*na"do\, n.; pl. {Tornadoes}. [From Sp. or Pg.
tornar to turn, return, L. tornare to turn, hence, a whirling
wind. The Sp. & Pg. tornada is a return. See {Turn}.]
A violent whirling wind; specifically (Meteorol.), a tempest
distinguished by a rapid whirling and slow progressive
motion, usually accompaned with severe thunder, lightning,
and torrents of rain, and commonly of short duration and
small breadth; a small cyclone
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
tornado
n : a localized and violently destructive windstorm occurring
over land characterized by a funnel-shaped cloud
extending toward the ground [syn: {twister}]
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