Etymologically
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hurricane

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈhʌɹɪkən/, /ˈhʌɹɪkeɪn/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Spanish huracán,[2][3][4][5][6] from an Arawakan or Taino word hurakán of the West Indies.[3][4][5][6] The earliest English forms, such as furacane and uracan, reflect Spanish huracán and Portuguese furacão.[4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

A violent wind-storm of the West Indies; a cyclone (1555).[7][3][4] The first English use is in Richard Eden's Decades of the New World, as furacanes.[5]

Semantic evolution

The OED records 39 spellings, mostly from the late 16th century;[5] the present spelling became frequent from 1650 and was established by 1688.[4][5] Figuratively the word was used from 1639 for any violent rush or commotion,[7] and in the 18th century for a crowded fashionable party at a private house.[7] Meteorologists now restrict it to tropical cyclones of the Atlantic and eastern Pacific with winds of at least 74 miles an hour.[2][3][1]

Timeline

  • 1555 – a violent West Indian wind-storm.[7][3][4]
  • 1639 – a violent rush or commotion.[7]
  • 1688 – the spelling hurricane established.[4][5]
  • 1746 – a crowded fashionable gathering.[7]
  • 1894 – adjective, of a lamp with a glass chimney.[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A severe tropical cyclone of the Atlantic, Caribbean or eastern Pacific, usually with heavy rain.
  2. A wind of more than 74 miles (119 kilometres) per hour.
  3. Something resembling a hurricane in force or turmoil.

Word family

  • hurricane deck
  • hurricane lamp

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press