Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “tempestuous” come from?

Tempestuous derives from Middle English tempestuous and tempestous, from Old French tempesteus, from Latin tempestuosus.

tempestuous (English): Of, or resembling a tempest; stormy, tumultuous

Definitions

  1. Of, or resembling a tempest; stormy, tumultuous

Ancestry of “tempestuous”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishtempestious—
2Middle Englishtempestous—
3Latintempestuosus—
4Latintempestūs—
5Latintempustime, period, age; season; kairos, right time,...
6Proto-Indo-Europeantemposstretch
7Proto-Indo-Europeantemp-to extend, stretch, span; to stetch, string; to...

Words derived from “tempestuous”

  • tempestuously
  • tempestuousness
  • untempestuous
Every word from Proto-Indo-European temp- →