Dictionary

supercell en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *úp Proto-Indo-European *-er Proto-Indo-European *upér Proto-Italic *super Latin super Latin super-lbor. English super- English cell English supercell From super- + cell.

Meanings

1. A severe thunderstorm with updrafts and downdrafts that are in near balance, allowing the storm to maintain itself for several hours. Supercells often produce large hail, powerful downpours, very strong winds and sometimes tornadoes.
   • The storm system was a supercell, the kind that brew the deadliest tornadoes and most damaging hail in the United States, said Walker Ashley[…] 2023 March 25, Oliver Laughland, “‘My city is gone’: ‘supercell’ tornado annihilates Mississippi town and kills 23”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
   • They watched the supercell that spawned the F5 killer that struck Oklahoma City spit out one tornado after another. In two cases, the researchers believe, the Dopplers captured tornadoes being formed — including the Oklahoma City monster. 1999 May 11, William K. Stevens, “Oklahoma Tornado Offers Hints Of How a Killer Storm Is Born”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
2. A repeating unit cell of a crystal that contains several primitive cells.

Forms

Translations (18)

ru суперъячейка (severe thunderstorm) · ca supercèl·lula (severe thunderstorm) · cmn 超級單體 /超级单体 (severe thunderstorm) · ko 슈퍼셀 (severe thunderstorm) · cmn 超級胞 /超级胞 (severe thunderstorm) · pt supercélula (severe thunderstorm) · nl supercel (severe thunderstorm) · hu szupercella (severe thunderstorm) · fa توفان چرخشی (severe thunderstorm) · fr supercellule (severe thunderstorm) · es supercelda (severe thunderstorm) · cmn 超大胞 (severe thunderstorm) · de Superzelle (severe thunderstorm) · tr süper hücre (severe thunderstorm) · sv supercell (severe thunderstorm) · fi supersolu (severe thunderstorm) · cs supercela (severe thunderstorm) · it supercella (severe thunderstorm)