cirrostratus
/ˌsɪɹə(ʊ)ˈstɹeɪtəs/
cirrostratus means A principal high-level cloud type appearing as a whitish veil, usually fibrous but sometimes smooth, which may totally cover the sky and which often produces halo phenomena. It carries an Arena rating of 1379, earned across 5 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, cirrostratus ranks #1,494 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words, #1,695 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words, #1,800 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #3,304 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say.
cirrostratus is pronounced /ˌsɪɹə(ʊ)ˈstɹeɪtəs/.
Why “cirrostratus” is a great word
A principal high-level cloud type appearing as a whitish, fibrous or smooth veil that may cover the sky and often produces halo phenomena. From Latin cirrus ("curl, wisp") and stratus ("spread, layer"), coined in 1803 by the British chemist and amateur meteorologist Luke Howard. Unlike cirrus, which appears as detached, wispy filaments, or stratus, which sits low as a featureless blanket, cirrostratus is a continuous, thin, translucent sheet suspended at great altitude. It is the faint milkiness that blurs a noon sun, the gossamer screen that etches the moon with a spectral ring, the almost imperceptible film through which the stars burn dim and cold—the sky forgetting its own vastness and donning a veil of ice.
Etymology
From cirro- + stratus, coined by the British chemist and amateur meteorologist Luke Howard (1772–1864): see the 1803 quotation.
noun
- A principal high-level cloud type appearing as a whitish veil, usually fibrous but sometimes smooth, which may totally cover the sky and which often produces halo phenomena.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- cirrocumulus 77% match — 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. vs cirrostratus →
- cirrovelum 76% match — a continuous covering of cirrostratus cloud vs cirrostratus →
- stratus 73% match — A principal, low-level cloud type in the form of a gray layer with a rather uniform base, usually not associated with precipitation, and capable of producing corona phenomena and a weak, uniform luminance. vs cirrostratus →
- cirrostrative 71% match — Relating to, or characteristic of cirrostratus clouds vs cirrostratus →
- altostratus 71% match — A principal medium-level cloud type in the form of a gray or bluish (never white) sheet or layer of striated, fibrous, or uniform appearance. vs cirrostratus →
- stratocirrus 70% match — An altostratus cloud. vs cirrostratus →
- cirronebula 68% match — A thin, amorphous cirrus cloud vs cirrostratus →
- nimbostratus 62% match — A mid-level cloud, generally formless and dark grey in color, associated with precipitation. Abbreviated Ns. vs cirrostratus →