cirrus

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun usually coiled
  2. noun a wispy white cloud (usually of fine ice crystals) at a high altitude (4 to 8 miles)
  3. noun a slender flexible animal appendage as on barnacles or crinoids or many insects; often tactile

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin cirrus (“curl; fringe of clothes; mane (especially forelock) of a horse; etc”); further etymology unknown. Sense 2 (“type of cloud”) was coined by the British chemist and amateur meteorologist Luke Howard (1772–1864): see the 1803 quotation. The plural form cirri is also a learned borrowing from Latin cirrī, the nominative or vocative plural of cirrus.

In classic literature

Synonyms

cirrhus

A single word — an entire dictionary opens.

Type a word, a sentence, a book title, or a link to an English article. WordNet and the Classics answer.

Try

A library of classics · a vault of words · instant etymology & meaning

Continue reading