tempest
TEM-pist
/ˈtempɪst/
A violent, windy storm.
A dramatic, highly literary term that evokes emotional turmoil and wild, turbulence-filled weather.
The story behind the word. Derived from Latin 'tempestas' (portion of time, weather, or bad weather), rooted in 'tempus' (time). In Old French it became 'tempeste' before entering Middle English.
Word relationships
- gale: Gale emphasizes strong wind speed, whereas tempest suggests a full violent storm with atmospheric chaos.
- serenity: Serenity refers to absolute calm and peacefulness.
Commonly confused with
- deluge: Tempest stresses roaring wind and turmoil; deluge stresses overwhelming volume of rain or water.
Word family
- tempestuous (adjective): Characterized by strong and turbulent or conflicting emotion; stormy.
Collocations
- raging tempest
- tempest in a teapot
- gathering tempest
Idioms & expressions
- tempest in a teapot
Example sentences
- "The wooden vessel pitched wildly upon the roaring waves as the tempest battered its hull." Literary description of a voyage
Memory hook
A TEMPEST causes TEMPORARY atmospheric mayhem. Violent, literary storm.
When not to use
Rarely used in modern technical weather forecasts; preferred in historical or artistic prose.
Fun facts
- William Shakespeare famously chose 'The Tempest' as the title for his play featuring a magically summoned shipwrecking storm.
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