Meanings
plural cumulonimbuses · plural cumulonimbi · alternative cumulo-nimbus
- climatologyA cloud with a tall structure and flat base, often associated with thunderstorms.
The one to the east (which at the moment seemed to be leaping straight out of the heart of a sinister slaty-purple patch of cumulonimbus) drained the Lake of the Hanging Glaciers; that to the west a desolate rock and ice-walled valley which was rimmed by some of the highest summits in the Selkirks.
1921, Lewis R. Freeman, chapter III, in Down the ColumbiaSynonyms: nimbocumulus
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA cloud with a tall structure and flat base, often associated with thunderstorms.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna dark cloud of great vertical extent charged with electricity; associated with thunderstorms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latincumulus“heap”
- Englishcumulonimbus
From Latin cumulus (“heap”) + nimbus (“cloud”).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian купесто-дъждовен облак
- купесто-дъждовен облак (kupesto-dăždoven oblak)cloud
Catalan cumulonimbe, cumulonimbus
- cumulonimbecloud
- cumulonimbuscloud
Chinese Cantonese 積雨雲 /积雨云
- 積雨雲 /积雨云 (zik¹ jyu⁵ wan⁴)cloud
Chinese Mandarin 積雨雲 /积雨云
- 積雨雲 /积雨云 (jīyǔyún)cloud
Dutch cumulonimbus
- cumulonimbuscloud
Finnish kuuropilvi, ukkospilvi
- kuuropilvicloud
- ukkospilvicloud
French cumulonimbus
- cumulonimbuscloud
German Kumulonimbus
- Kumulonimbuscloud
Greek σωρειτομελανίας
- σωρειτομελανίας (soreitomelanías)cloud
Icelandic skúraský, þrumuský
- skúraskýcloud
- þrumuskýcloud
- skúraflákarcloud
- útsynningsklakkarcloud
Italian cumulonembo
- cumulonembocloud
Japanese 積乱雲
- 積乱雲 (sekiran'un)cloud
Korean 적란운
- 적란운 (jeongnanun)cloud
Latin cumulonimbus
- cumulonimbuscloud
Polish cumulonimbus
- cumulonimbuscloud
Portuguese cúmulo-nimbo
- cúmulo-nimbocloud
Romanian cumulonimbus
- cumulonimbuscloud
Russian ку́чево-дождевое облако
- ку́чево-дождевое облако (kúčevo-doždevoje oblako)cloud
Spanish cumulonimbo
- cumulonimbocloud
Vietnamese mây vũ tích
- mây vũ tíchcloud
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with cumulonimbus
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
cumulonimbus. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cumulonimbus
“cumulonimbus.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cumulonimbus. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cumulonimbus,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cumulonimbus.
Source: cumulonimbus on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.