ˈhər.]əˌkān, ˈhə.r], ]ēˌk-, ]iˌk- also ]ēkə̇n or ]əkə̇n or ]ikə̇n\ noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Spanish huracán, from Taino hurakán, from hura wind, to blow away
1.
a. : a tropical cyclone with winds of 73 miles per hour or greater but rarely exceeding 150 miles per hour, usually accompanied by rain, thunder, and lightning, and especially prevalent from August to October in the tropical No. Atlantic and tropical Western Pacific but occasionally moving into temperate latitudes — see beaufort scale table; compare typhoon
b. : something resembling a hurricane especially in violence : storm
the noise rose to a hurricane — Dorothy C. Fisher
a rushing hurricane of blows struck him as he stood up — Donn Byrne
the damage done by emotional hurricanes is not confined to the object of wrath — J.A.O'Brien
2. dialect : an area where trees have been blown down by a hurricane or tornado
there was a place about eight miles east of Bloomington which was known for many years as the hurricane — J.A.Woodburn
Synonyms: see wind