tyfoon

Noun

tyfoon (plural tyfoons)

1. Obsolete form of typhoon.

Alternative forms

• taifoen

Etymology

Probably ultimately of Sinitic origin, Mandarin 大风 (dàfēng, “big wind”), Cantonese 大風 (daai⁶ fung¹, “big wind”), via Arabic طوفان‎ (ṭūfān), Hindi तूफ़ान (tūfān), and Persian توفان‎ (tufân). Ancient Greek Τυφῶν (Tuphôn, “Typhon, father of the winds”) is unrelated but has secondarily contaminated the word: given the location of typhoons as a Pacific Ocean phenomenon, it is more likely it began east and moved west.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tiˈfoːn/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ty‧foon

Noun

tyfoon m (plural tyfoons, diminutive tyfoontje n)

1. typhoon
2. train horn