typhoon

Where does the word "typhoon" come from? It comes from Arabic tufan, passing through Portuguese before entering English (1588-1699).

Typhoon’s story begins in Arabic: tufan meant “a big cyclonic storm.” Tufan, "a big cyclonic storm": the word used in the Quran for Noah's flood; the same word was also used in Persian and Hindi/Urdu as a shared loan. By 1500s, the word had taken hold in Portuguese as tufao. Influenced by Chinese 'tai fung', great wind, and by Greek Typhon, the monster of storms. It reached English by 1588-1699 as touffon / typhoon. Entered English for storms of the India and China seas, later reshaped in spelling under the influence of Cantonese tai fung ('great wind') and the Greek storm-giant Typhon. Today, typhoon means a severe tropical cyclone occurring in the western Pacific or Indian Ocean.

1. Stage 1 · Arabic · medieval tufan "a big cyclonic storm", tufan, "a big cyclonic storm": the word used in the Quran for Noah's flood; the same word was also used in Persian and Hindi/Urdu as a shared loan.
2. Stage 2 · Portuguese · 1500s tufao "a violent storm of the Indian Ocean", influenced by Chinese 'tai fung', great wind, and by Greek Typhon, the monster of storms.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1588-1699 touffon / typhoon "a powerful tropical cyclone", entered English for storms of the India and China seas, later reshaped in spelling under the influence of Cantonese tai fung ('great wind') and the Greek storm-giant Typhon.