typhoon (English)

Where does "typhoon" come from?

The word 'typhoon' has a complex history tied to the global navigation of the 16th century, likely blending the Ancient Greek 'typhon' for wind with the Arabic 'tufan' and Sinitic 'dafeng,' meaning 'big wind.' While early English spellings were influenced by the Greek titan Typhon, the term was adopted into European languages through contacts between Portuguese sailors and Arabic speakers in the Indian Ocean. Over time, these various linguistic influences merged to describe the intense tropical cyclones we recognize today.

Full etymology tree

• typhoon (English), 'A severe tropical cyclone; an intense, rotating storm.'
  • influence Τυφῶν (Tuphôn) (Ancient Greek), 'Typhon'
    • derived τῡ́φω (tū́phō) (Ancient Greek)
      • inherited *dʰewh₂- (Proto-Indo-European), 'smoke'
  • influence daai6 fung1 (Cantonese)
    • compound daai6 (daai6) (Cantonese), 'Jyutping transcription of 大'
    • compound fung1 (fung1) (Cantonese), 'Jyutping transcription of 封'
  • influence طُوفَان (ṭūfān) (Arabic), 'deluge'
    • borrowed طاوپانا (ṭawpānā) (Classical Syriac)
      • borrowed daai6 fung1 (Cantonese)
        • compound daai6 (daai6) (Cantonese), 'Jyutping transcription of 大'
        • compound fung1 (fung1) (Cantonese), 'Jyutping transcription of 封'
    • derived ط و ف (ṭ w f) (Arabic (Root))
  • borrowed tufão (Portuguese), 'typhoon (weather phenomenon in the Pacific, equivalent to a hurricane)'
    • borrowed طُوفَان (ṭūfān) (Arabic), 'deluge'
      • borrowed طاوپانا (ṭawpānā) (Classical Syriac)
        • borrowed daai6 fung1 (Cantonese)
          • compound daai6 (daai6) (Cantonese), 'Jyutping transcription of 大'
          • compound fung1 (fung1) (Cantonese), 'Jyutping transcription of 封'
      • derived ط و ف (ṭ w f) (Arabic (Root))

Direct ancestors

• τυφῶν (Ancient Greek)
• طوفان (Persian)
• तूफ़ान (Hindi)

Updated July 2026

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