Hunt, K. M. R.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1480-3755
(2026)
How weather got its words: a history of meteorological English. Part 2: The Scientific Age and beyond.
Weather.
ISSN 1477-8696
(In Press)
Abstract/Summary
The English language is a gargantuan, gluttonous beast. It has become extraordinary 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/130110 |
| Refereed | Yes |
| Divisions | Science > School of Mathematical, Physical and Computational Sciences > Department of Meteorology |
| Publisher | Wiley |
| Download/View statistics | View download statistics for this item |
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