Where does “cloudburst” come from?
cloudburst (English) comes from English cloud, from Middle English cloud, from Old English clūd, from Proto-West Germanic klūt, from Proto-Germanic klūtaz, from Proto-Indo-European gelewdos, from Indo-European *gel-.
cloudburst (English): A sudden heavy rainstorm
Definitions
- A sudden heavy rainstorm
Ancestry of “cloudburst”, step by step
cloudburst traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English cloud
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | cloud | A rock; boulder; a hill; A visible mass of water... |
| 2 | Middle English | cloud | A small elevation; a hill; A clod, lump, or... |
| 3 | Old English | clūd | mass of stone, rock, boulder, hill; rock, boulder |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | klūt | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | klūtaz | lump, clod; boulder, rock; hill |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gelewdos | — |
| 7 | Indo-European | *gel- | — |
via English burst
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | burst | To break from internal pressure; To cause to... |
| 2 | Middle English | bresten | To burst break from internal pressure |
| 3 | Old English | berstan | to break, shatter, burst |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *brestan | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | brestaną | to burst, break, sunder, split, crack |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰres‑ | to burst; break; crack; crackle |