noun
cirrus
SEER-us/ˈsɪrəs/
A thin, wispy cloud at high altitude.
A thin cirrus stretches like a white feather across the high blue sky.
Etymology
Latin cirrus meant a lock or curl of hair. This image was applied to wispy clouds because their light, fleecy shapes suggested curls or tufts.
In context
Blue Sky appeared above streaked with wisps of high cirrus cloud
More examples
- Wispy cirrus clouds drift far above the hills.
- The weather photograph shows a delicate cirrus.
- High cirri catch the light after sunset.
Forms
cirrus · cirri
Similar words
- cumulus
- Cumulus clouds are typically puffy and heaped; cirrus clouds are high and wispy.