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τυφών · Ancient Greek
noun · Ancient Greek
Transliteration: typhōn
Whirlwind; Typhon, a mythic figure associated with winds.. Whirlwind; Typhon, a mythic figure associated with winds.
Date not yet researched — No word-specific date established in the inspected sources.
Greek reference region — Glottolog language reference point; not an origin, borrowing site or territorial boundary.
English texts mention Greek typhon/typhōn for whirlwind before the storm sense; Greek influence is one explanation for the modern spelling. English > Etymology
The historical dictionary preserves incompatible explanations of form and storm sense. TYPHOON, discussion, Robertson Smith note and quotations
Glottolog supplies the reference coordinates for Greek. LanguageTable row gree1276
طُوفَان · Arabic
noun · Arabic
Transliteration: ṭūfān
Flood or deluge; a later storm sense is separately disputed.. The older flood meaning does not independently establish the chronology or source of the later whirlwind sense.
Date not yet researched — No word-specific date established in the inspected sources.
Arabic reference region — Glottolog language reference point; not an origin, borrowing site or territorial boundary.
Portuguese tufão is described as likely acquired from Arabic ṭūfān, with related Persian and Hindi forms. English > Etymology
Portuguese tufão is reported from at least 1560; English Touffon is cited in 1588 for a giant Pacific storm. English > Etymology; references
The historical dictionary preserves incompatible explanations of form and storm sense. TYPHOON, discussion, Robertson Smith note and quotations
Glottolog supplies the reference coordinates for Arabic. LanguageTable row arab1395
大風 · Classical Chinese
noun · Classical Chinese
Transliteration: dàfēng
Big wind.. 大風 is the great-wind comparison. Its Mandarin transliteration is not the historical donor reading; Hirth’s Formosan proposal involves a different first element.
Date not yet researched — No word-specific date established in the inspected sources.
Classical Chinese reference region — Glottolog language reference point; not an origin, borrowing site or territorial boundary.
Some accounts connect Arabic ṭūfān or English tyfoong/tyfung forms with Sinitic 大風 “big wind,” while other accounts derive the Arabic term within Semitic or from Greek. English > Etymology
The historical dictionary preserves incompatible explanations of form and storm sense. TYPHOON, discussion, Robertson Smith note and quotations
Glottolog supplies the reference coordinates for Classical Chinese. LanguageTable row lite1248
tufão · Portuguese
noun · Portuguese
Transliteration: tufão
A violent storm or typhoon.. A violent storm or typhoon.
1560 · reported Portuguese use — Reported minimum date in the English etymology; not a first attestation claim.
Portuguese reference region — Glottolog language reference point; not an origin, borrowing site or territorial boundary.
Portuguese tufão is described as likely acquired from Arabic ṭūfān, with related Persian and Hindi forms. English > Etymology
Portuguese tufão is reported from at least 1560; English Touffon is cited in 1588 for a giant Pacific storm. English > Etymology; references
Glottolog supplies the reference coordinates for Portuguese. LanguageTable row port1283
typhoon · English
noun · English
Reading: tie-FOON
A severe tropical cyclone, especially in the northwestern Pacific.. A severe tropical cyclone, especially in the northwestern Pacific.
1588 · Touffon storm use — The inherited source reports the 1588 English translation. Earlier travel-event dates in historical quotation collections must not be substituted for publication or lexical attestation dates.
English reference region / Britain — Glottolog language reference point; not an origin, borrowing site or territorial boundary.
English texts mention Greek typhon/typhōn for whirlwind before the storm sense; Greek influence is one explanation for the modern spelling. English > Etymology
Portuguese tufão is described as likely acquired from Arabic ṭūfān, with related Persian and Hindi forms. English > Etymology
Some accounts connect Arabic ṭūfān or English tyfoong/tyfung forms with Sinitic 大風 “big wind,” while other accounts derive the Arabic term within Semitic or from Greek. English > Etymology
Portuguese tufão is reported from at least 1560; English Touffon is cited in 1588 for a giant Pacific storm. English > Etymology; references
English typhoon denotes a severe tropical cyclone, especially in the northwestern Pacific, and is pronounced /taɪˈfuːn/. English > Pronunciation and Noun
The historical dictionary preserves incompatible explanations of form and storm sense. TYPHOON, discussion, Robertson Smith note and quotations
Glottolog supplies the reference coordinates for English. LanguageTable row stan1293
tufão → typhoon: borrowing, qualified. Portuguese tufão is the stated European route into the 1588 English storm use, but the transfer chronology is compressed. Route dispute: The English written form reflects possible convergence and spelling influence; no single upstream source is asserted. English > Etymology; references
dàfēng → typhoon: influence, alternative. Chinese-derived tyfoong/tyfung forms are reported; their relation to primary typhoon is contested. English > Etymology