mesocyclone

M3E1S1O1C3Y4C3L1O1N1E1

noun

An area of vertical atmospheric rotation in supercell thunderstorms, which signals the threat of a possible tornado.

OriginEnglish cyclone ← Ancient Greek μέσος (mésos) ← Proto-Hellenic *métsos →
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Meanings

nounmesocyclone (plural mesocyclones)

plural mesocyclones

  1. An area of vertical atmospheric rotation in supercell thunderstorms, which signals the threat of a possible tornado.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*me
  2. Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁-?
  3. Proto-Indo-European*médʰi
  4. Proto-Indo-European*médʰyos
  5. Proto-Hellenic*métsos
  6. Ancient Greekμέσος (mésos)
  7. Englishmeso-
  8. Englishcyclone
  9. Englishmesocyclone

From meso- + cyclone.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

mesocyclone. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mesocyclone

MLA

“mesocyclone.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mesocyclone. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mesocyclone,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mesocyclone.

Source: mesocyclone on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.