cirrocumulus
Americannoun
plural
cirrocumulusnoun
plural
cirrocumuli-
A high-altitude cloud composed of a series of small, regularly arranged cloudlets in the form of ripples or grains. Cirrocumulus clouds generally form between 6,100 and 12,200 m (20,000 and 40,000 ft) and are composed exclusively of ice crystals.
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See illustration at cloud
Other Word Forms
- cirrocumular adjective
- cirrocumulative adjective
- cirrocumulous adjective
Etymology
Origin of cirrocumulus
Vocabulary lists containing cirrocumulus
Weather and Climate - Middle School
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Earth Science - Middle School
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Earth Science - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Although there are infinite shapes a cloud can take, the common classification system includes 10 types: cumulonimbus, cumulus, stratus, stratocumulus, nimbostratus, altostratus, altocumulus, cirrostratus, cirrocumulus and cirrus.
From Time Magazine Archive
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Towards afternoon, cirrocumulus and cirrostratus began to appear moving northward.
From Successful Exploration Through the Interior of Australia by Wills, William John
A few cirrocumulus clouds were coming up from the east when we started, but we left them behind, and nothing was visible during the night but a thin hazy veil.
From Successful Exploration Through the Interior of Australia by Wills, William John
A few cirrocumulus continued to pass over towards east.
From Successful Exploration Through the Interior of Australia by Wills, William John
Towards morning there were a few cirrocumulus clouds passing over north-east to south-west, but these disappeared before daylight.
From Successful Exploration Through the Interior of Australia by Wills, William John
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.