derecho means A windstorm characterized by strong, straight-line winds.
derecho is pronounced /dəˈɹeɪ.t͡ʃoʊ/.
Why “derecho” is a great word
A widespread, long-lived windstorm characterized by strong, straight-line winds, associated with a fast-moving complex of severe thunderstorms. Learned borrowing from Spanish derecho ("straight"), from Latin dīrectus ("straight, direct"), past participle of dīrigere ("to lay straight, direct"), coined in 1888 by Gustavus Detlef Hinrichs to distinguish these straight-line winds from rotating storms. Unlike a tornado, which is a concentrated, violent vortex, or a hurricane, a vast, oceanic cyclone, a derecho is a relentless, inland surge of horizontal force. It is the sudden flattening of a hundred miles of cornfield in a single direction, the trees all felled parallel as if combed by a god's furious hand, and the sound of a thousand freight trains leveling everything in their path—the terrible democracy of wind moving in one direction only, a reminder that destruction does not always twist; sometimes it simply marches.
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Spanish derecho (“straight”). First used by Gustavus Detlef Hinrichs in 1888, apparently coined to distinguish the winds from tornadoes, which rotate; compare tornado. Doublet of direct.
noun
- A windstorm characterized by strong, straight-line winds.
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- cyclone 79% match — Any weather phenomenon consisting of a system of winds rotating around a centre of low atmospheric pressure; a low pressure system. vs derecho →
- raindrift 79% match — A sheet of rain blown by the wind. vs derecho →
- cloudburst 78% match — A sudden heavy rainstorm. vs derecho →
- haboob 78% match — A violent duststorm or sandstorm in the deserts of Arabia, North Africa, India, or North America. vs derecho →
- inclemency 78% match — The quality of being inclement; lack of clemency. vs derecho →
- zephyr 78% match — A light wind from the west. vs derecho →
- monsoon 78% match — Any of a number of winds associated with regions where most rain falls during a particular season. vs derecho →
- whirlwind 78% match — A windstorm of limited extent, such as a tornado, dust devil, or waterspout, characterized by an inward spiral motion of the air with an upward current in the center; a vortex of air. vs derecho →