cyclogenesis
|cy-clo-gen-e-sis|
🇺🇸
/ˌsaɪkloʊˈdʒɛnəsɪs/
🇬🇧
/ˌsaɪkləʊˈdʒɛnəsɪs/
formation/birth of a cyclone
Etymology
'cyclogenesis' originates from Greek, specifically the words 'kyklos' and 'genesis', where 'kyklos' meant 'circle' and 'genesis' meant 'origin' or 'birth'.
'cyclogenesis' was coined in scientific/meteorological usage (via Neo-Latin or modern Greek formation) and entered English as a technical term in the late 19th century to describe the formation of cyclonic systems.
Initially, it literally combined the ideas of 'circle' and 'origin', but over time it evolved into the specialized meteorological sense 'the formation or intensification of a cyclone'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the development or intensification of a cyclonic circulation in the atmosphere; formation of a cyclone or low-pressure system (general meteorological sense).
Meteorologists analyzed cyclogenesis over the North Atlantic to forecast the approaching storm.
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Noun 2
specifically, the processes leading to the formation or intensification of tropical cyclones (hurricanes, typhoons) in a tropical environment.
Sea-surface temperatures and low wind shear favored cyclogenesis in the tropics that month.
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Last updated: 2025/10/20 05:05