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tempest

Etymology and origin of the English word tempest

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈtɛm.pəst/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English tempeste,[2][3][4][5] borrowed from Old French tempeste (“storm; commotion”),[2][3][6][4][7] from Vulgar Latin *tempesta,[2][3][6][4][7] an alteration of Latin tempestās (“season, weather; storm”),[2][3][6][4][7] from tempus “time, season”.[2][3][6][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A violent windstorm, usually with rain, hail, snow or thunder (c. 1250 in the OED; about 1275 in Barnhart; late 13th century in Etymonline).[8][3][6][5]

Semantic evolution

The Latin sense developed from “period of time” to “period of weather”, then “bad weather” and “storm”.[6] Words for weather have often come from words for time across European languages.[6] In English the figurative sense, a violent commotion or tumult, is recorded from the early 14th century.[6][8][3] The OED also records the meanings “calamity” (c. 1330, obsolete), “a crowded fashionable gathering” (1746) and “a person of stormy temper” (1852).[8] The phrase tempest in a teapot, a great fuss over a small matter, is attested by 1818.[6]

Timeline

  • c. 1250 – a violent storm.[8]
  • c. 1315 – a violent commotion.[8]
  • c. 1374 – verb, to disturb violently.[8]
  • about 1385 – tempestuous.[3]
  • 1746 – a crowded assembly.[8]
  • 1818 – tempest in a teapot.[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A violent windstorm, often with rain, snow or hail.
  2. Furious agitation, commotion or tumult; an uproar.

Verb

  1. To raise a tempest in or around; to disturb violently.

Word family

  • tempest-tossed
  • tempestuous
  • tempest in a teapot
  • temporal
  • tense
  • temporary

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b Kurath, Hans; Kuhn, Sherman M.; Lewis, Robert E., eds. (1952–2001), Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; online edition ed. Frances McSparran et al. (2000–2018)
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Tempest.” Etymologically, 10 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/tempest. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·