cyclone (English)

Where does "cyclone" come from?

The English noun 'cyclone' was coined by Henry Piddington, likely in the 1840s[1]. Piddington based the new term on Ancient Greek[1], specifically drawing from a form derived either from 'κύκλος' meaning circle or wheel, or from the verb 'κυκλόω' meaning to go around in a circle or encircle[1]. These Ancient Greek terms trace back through Proto-Hellenic to the Proto-Indo-European root '*kʷékʷlos', which also meant circle or wheel[2].

Open questions

• Sources disagree on the exact date of coinage and the precise Ancient Greek term that served as the basis for the word. [1]

Full etymology tree

• cyclone (English), 'Any weather phenomenon consisting of a system of winds rotating around a centre of low atmospheric pressure; a low pressure system.'
  • derived κύκλος (kúklos) (Ancient Greek), 'circle, ring'
    • inherited *kúklos (Proto-Hellenic)
      • inherited *kʷékʷlos (Proto-Indo-European), 'wheel'
  • derived κυκλόω (kuklóō) (Ancient Greek), 'to encircle, surround'
    • derived κύκλος (kúklos) (Ancient Greek), 'circle, ring'
      • inherited *kúklos (Proto-Hellenic)
        • inherited *kʷékʷlos (Proto-Indo-European), 'wheel'
    • suffix -όω (-óō) (Ancient Greek), 'Added to a noun or adjective to make a verb with a causative or factitive meaning: to make someone do or be something.'

Descendants and derived words

• cicló (Catalan)
• cyklon (Danish)
• cycloon (Dutch)
• anticyclone (English)
• bomb cyclone (English)
• cyclone cellar (English)
• cyclone chaser (English)
• cyclone fence (English)
• cyclone hunter (English)
• cyclonelike (English)
• cyclone pit (English)
• cyclone sandwich (English)

Sources

1. cyclone (English) - Wiktionary
2. κύκλος (kúklos) (Ancient Greek) - Wiktionary
3. κυκλόω (kuklóō) (Ancient Greek) - Wiktionary

Updated August 2026

More words starting with C

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris