/ ˈtɜːbjələns; NAmE ˈtɜːrb-/ noun [ U ]
1.
a situation in which there is a lot of sudden change, confusion, disagreement and sometimes violence
SYN upheaval
2.
a series of sudden and violent changes in the direction that air or water is moving in :
We experienced severe turbulence during the flight.
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : from Old French , or from late Latin turbulentia , from turbulentus full of commotion, from turba crowd.