Medicane

A discussion of word histories and origins.
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Slava
Great Grand Panjandrum
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Medicane

Postby Slava » Wed Oct 27, 2021 5:41 pm

No, it's not a form of healthcare support. It's a "Mediterranean Hurricane," a real thing, as I just learned. Read all about it.

I wonder if a midicane would be a not-so-big hurricane. 8)
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bnjtokyo
Lexiterian
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Joined: Thu Jul 07, 2016 7:16 pm

Re: Medicane

Postby bnjtokyo » Fri Oct 29, 2021 7:23 pm

I don't think this neologism is necessary. The correct term should be "tuphon" or "typhon." When "typhoon" was the Good Word of the Day way back in 2013, the "Word History" points out that "typhoon" has one of its roots in Greek and myth: "[Typhoon] traveled from Greece to Arabia and on to India, but combines features of a word that arose independently in China. The Greek word tuphon was a common noun meaning 'whirlwind, typhoon'."

If a word is needed for a strong cyclonic storm with wind exceeding 100km/hr in the Mediterranean, we should go back to Greek and Typhon, the storm giant defeated by Zeus and imprisoned in Tartaros. Maybe Typhon escaped.

https://www.alphadictionary.com/goodword/word/typhoon


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