Dictionary entry

Hurricane

Webster's Dictionary 1913

Hur″ri‐cane (?), n. [Sp. hurracan; orig. a Carib word signifying, a high wind.] A violent storm, characterized by extreme fury and sudden changes of the wind, and generally accompanied by rain, thunder, and lightning; — especially prevalent in the East and West Indies. Also used figuratively.

Like the smoke in a hurricane whirl'd. Tennyson.

Each guilty thought to me is

A dreadful hurricane. Massinger.

Hurricane bird(Zoöl.), the frigate bird. — Hurricane deck. (Naut.) See under Deck.