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How weather got its words: a history of meteorological English. Part 1: Old English to the Age of Discovery

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Hunt, K. M. R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1480-3755 (2026) How weather got its words: a history of meteorological English. Part 1: Old English to the Age of Discovery. Weather. ISSN 1477-8696 (In Press)

Abstract/Summary

The English language is a gargantuan, gluttonous beast. It has become extraordinary among its peers in its powers of assimilation – such that we rarely consider the diverse origins of the words we use. In this two-part paper, we will explore these origins, including the Pontic-Caspian steppe, the British Empire, latinophone scientists, and a TV show. We will discuss what barometers have in common with gurus, what hurricanes have in common with barbecues, why cumulocirrostratus never caught on, where typhoons really come from, and why – in a different timeline – we might be weathermongers looking at welkins, cumbles, and whirl-puffs.

Item Type Article
URI https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/id/eprint/130109
Refereed Yes
Divisions Science > School of Mathematical, Physical and Computational Sciences > NCAS
Science > School of Mathematical, Physical and Computational Sciences > Department of Meteorology
Publisher Wiley
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