The Collaborative International Dictionary
Storm \Storm\, n. [AS. storm; akin to D. storm, G. sturm, Icel. stormr; and perhaps to Gr. ? assault, onset, Skr. s? to flow, to hasten, or perhaps to L. sternere to strew, prostrate (cf. Stratum). [root]166.]
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A violent disturbance of the atmosphere, attended by wind, rain, snow, hail, or thunder and lightning; hence, often, a heavy fall of rain, snow, or hail, whether accompanied with wind or not.
We hear this fearful tempest sing, Yet seek no shelter to avoid the storm.
--Shak. -
A violent agitation of human society; a civil, political, or domestic commotion; sedition, insurrection, or war; violent outbreak; clamor; tumult.
I will stir up in England some black storm.
--Shak.Her sister Began to scold and raise up such a storm.
--Shak. -
A heavy shower or fall, any adverse outburst of tumultuous force; violence.
A brave man struggling in the storms of fate.
--Pope. -
(Mil.) A violent assault on a fortified place; a furious attempt of troops to enter and take a fortified place by scaling the walls, forcing the gates, or the like.
Note: Storm is often used in the formation of self-explained compounds; as, storm-presaging, stormproof, storm-tossed, and the like.
Anticyclonic storm (Meteor.), a storm characterized by a central area of high atmospheric pressure, and having a system of winds blowing spirally outward in a direction contrary to that cyclonic storms. It is attended by low temperature, dry air, infrequent precipitation, and often by clear sky. Called also high-area storm, anticyclone. When attended by high winds, snow, and freezing temperatures such storms have various local names, as blizzard, wet norther, purga, buran, etc.
Cyclonic storm. (Meteor.) A cyclone, or low-area storm. See Cyclone, above.
Magnetic storm. See under Magnetic.
Storm-and-stress period [a translation of G. sturm und drang periode], a designation given to the literary agitation and revolutionary development in Germany under the lead of Goethe and Schiller in the latter part of the 18th century.
Storm center (Meteorol.), the center of the area covered by a storm, especially by a storm of large extent.
Storm door (Arch.), an extra outside door to prevent the entrance of wind, cold, rain, etc.; -- usually removed in summer.
Storm path (Meteorol.), the course over which a storm, or storm center, travels.
Storm petrel. (Zo["o]l.) See Stormy petrel, under Petrel.
Storm sail (Naut.), any one of a number of strong, heavy sails that are bent and set in stormy weather.
Storm scud. See the Note under Cloud.
Syn: Tempest; violence; agitation; calamity.
Usage: Storm, Tempest. Storm is violent agitation, a commotion of the elements by wind, etc., but not necessarily implying the fall of anything from the clouds. Hence, to call a mere fall or rain without wind a storm is a departure from the true sense of the word. A tempest is a sudden and violent storm, such as those common on the coast of Italy, where the term originated, and is usually attended by a heavy rain, with lightning and thunder.
Storms beat, and rolls the main; O! beat those storms, and roll the seas, in vain.
--Pope.What at first was called a gust, the same Hath now a storm's, anon a tempest's name.
--Donne.
Usage examples of "cyclonic storm".
There was no colour at the low level of illumination - except for a hint of red here and there - but the banded structure of the clouds was very distinct, and he could see the edge of a small cyclonic storm looking like an oval island covered with snow.
He glimpsed the gibbous Earth, huge and mistily brilliant, so near that he felt he could almost touch the ragged white patch that was a cyclonic storm over Europe.
The screen glowed to life, showing me a wild, sweeping circle of clouds, a gigantic cyclonic storm as seen from the cameras of an orbiting satellite.
There was one cyclonic storm just dissipating toward the night-side, and the edge of a similar cloud-system down toward the equator.
After observing the collapse of the cyclonic storm, he swung about in his oddly shaped seat and beamed a message through his sending organ to the shaftgal underlings.
And every four days, a giant cyclonic storm, hundreds of miles in diameter, spins over the ocean and wreaks havoc on the land.
It appeared to be a tiny cyclonic storm, only a few kilometres across, but it reminded Rajasinghe of something completely different - a knot-hole breaking through the grain in a smoothly planed board.