Cumulus
/ˈkjuːmjʊləs/noun
A dense, puffy cloud with a rounded top and flat base.
Did you know?Cumulus is from Latin *cumulus*, meaning “heap” or “pile,” and it shares a root with words about piling up and growing into abundance.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kel-
“to rise, be high, or project”
Latin
Latin
cumulus
“a heap, mound, or pile”
Late Latin
Latin
cumulus
“a swelling mass or heap”
18th Century
English
cumulus
“used in scientific Latin for a piled-up cloud formation”
Modern English
English
cumulus
“a low, puffy cloud with a heaped-up appearance”
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