Agency Dictionary

Tsunami

nounPronunciation: /tsuːˈnɑː.mi/

In Portuguese: Tsunami

Science & Health

What does “Tsunami” mean?

A series of massive ocean waves caused by sudden displacement of water from undersea earthquakes, or metaphorically a sudden overwhelming influx of events.

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese tsunami, composed of tsu ('harbour') and nami ('wave'). The term entered scientific literature on Pacific geology and became widely known in English after major seismic events of the twentieth century.

Usage note

Tidal wave is still used colloquially for tsunami but is scientifically inaccurate: tsunamis are generated by seismic displacement, not by tidal forces.

Often confused with

tidal wave: A tidal wave is driven by gravitational forces acting on tides; a tsunami is generated by sudden seismic displacement of a body of water. The two terms are often used interchangeably in popular speech but refer to distinct phenomena.

Rhymes with

salami
origami
pastrami
swami

Usage examples

There is a boat on the sea, a tsunami on the way, and paddles floating away, we need to talk about marketing, immediately, sailor.

Concepts

Source editions

Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.

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