noun
cumulus
KYOO-myuh-lus/ˈkjuːmjələs/
A puffy cloud with a flat base and a rounded top.
The cumulus cloud has rounded white tops and a flat base.
Etymology
Latin cumulus meant a heap or pile. The cloud name applies that image to a rounded mass whose white upper surface looks heaped above a flatter, darker base.
In context
Spotting a cumulus cloud is pretty easy. The clouds resemble pieces of cotton candy. But why are cumulus clouds fluffy and not flat?
More examples
- Scattered cumulus clouds dotted the sky.
- The flat base distinguished the cumulus from the wispy clouds above it.
- Several cumuli developed during the afternoon.
Forms
cumulus · cumuli