Etymology

turbulence

tur·bu·lens
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Today it means: The state or fact of being turbulent or agitated; tempestuousness, disturbance. Full definition →

Middle English turbulence ← Late Latin turbulentia
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The story

  1. Late Latin · derived fromturbulentia“trouble, disquiet”
  2. Middle English · inherited fromturbulence“turbidity, cloudiness”
  3. English todayturbulence

From Middle English turbulence (“turbidity, cloudiness”), from Late Latin turbulentia (“trouble, disquiet”). By surface analysis, turbulent + -ence.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.