tsunami
noun
- series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water
- act or process of many large, fast, powerful, seismic sea waves occurring
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /(t)suːˈnɑːmi/ / /(t)suˈnæmi/ / /(t)suˈnɑmi/
noun
Etymology: Borrowed from Japanese 津波 (tsunami), from 津 (tsu, “harbour”) + 波 (nami, “wave”).
- A very large and destructive wave, generally caused by a tremendous disturbance in the ocean, such as an undersea earthquake or volcanic eruption; often a series of waves (a wave train).
“A tsunami struck Japan recently.”
“A wave simulator in the tank can re-enact tsunamis and northeasters, and imitate wave conditions from midocean.”
- A large and generally unstoppable surge.
“It seemed that what started out as a handful of isolated cases gradually turned into a tsunami of complaints.”
“It set off a tsunami of debate among the more esoteric critics, who either loved it or hated it but could not ignore it.”