Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

cirrocumulus

/ˌsɪɹoʊˈkjumjələs/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: cir-ro-cu-mu-lus
IPA: /ˌsɪɹoʊˈkjumjələs/

18

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

5

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A principal high-level cloud type appearing as a thin, white patch of cloud without shadows, composed of very small droplets in the form of grains or ripples. The elements may be merged or separate, and more or less regularly arranged; they subtend an angle of less than 1° when observed at an angle of more than 30° above the horizon. Holes or rifts often occur in a sheet of cirrocumulus.

Example Sentences

"[page 99] Cirro-cumulus. […] Small, well defined roundish masses, in close horizontal arrangement. […] [page 102] The cirro-cumulus is formed from a cirrus, or from a number of small separate cirri, by the fibres collapsing as it were, and passing into small roundish masses, in which the texture of the cirrus is no longer discernible, although they still retain somewhat of the same relative arrangement."

Etymology

From cirro- + cumulus, coined by the British chemist and amateur meteorologist Luke Howard (1772–1864): see the 1803 quotation.

Word Breakdown

Prefix: cirro-
Suffix: cumulus

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌsɪɹoʊˈkjumjələs/
British English: /ˌsɪɹə(ʊ)ˈkjuːmjʊləs/

Inflected Forms

cirrocumuli (plural)

Synonyms

Cc cirrocumulus cloud

Rhymes With

cumulus

Questions

How do you pronounce cirrocumulus?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌsɪɹoʊˈkjumjələs/.
What does cirrocumulus mean?: A principal high-level cloud type appearing as a thin, white patch of cloud without shadows, composed of very small droplets in the form of grains or ripples. The elements may be merged or separate, and more or less regularly arranged; they subtend an angle of less than 1° when observed at an angle of more than 30° above the horizon. Holes or rifts often occur in a sheet of cirrocumulus.
Where does cirrocumulus come from?: From cirro- + cumulus, coined by the British chemist and amateur meteorologist Luke Howard (1772–1864): see the 1803 quotation.

How to pronounce cirrocumulus

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