cumulus

[ kyoo-myuh-luh s ]

/ ˈkyu myə ləs /

noun, plural cu·mu·lus.

a heap; pile.

a cloud of a class characterized by dense individual elements in the form of puffs, mounds, or towers, with flat bases and tops that often resemble cauliflower: as such clouds develop vertically, they form cumulonimbus.

Nearby words

Origin of cumulus

1650–60; < New Latin (Latin: mass, pile)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cumulus

Cumulus Media, which now owns the former Dial Global, declined to comment on the suit for this story.
The Godfather of Right-Wing Radio|Caitlin Dickson|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“We've had a tough go of it this last year,” Cumulus CEO Lew Dickey said Tuesday morning.
The High Cost of Rush: Talker Bleeds Millions From His Carriers as Toxic Talk Slumps, Cumulus Seems Set to Part Ways With Rush Limbaugh|John Avlon|May 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
All the rest is torn stratus and cumulus, which needs to condense a little further before it becomes nimbus.
Reading the Weather|Thomas Morris Longstreth
These heaped clouds, known as cumulus, are a guarantee of a normal atmosphere and continued fair weather.
Reading the Weather|Thomas Morris Longstreth

In "The Cumulus" we "see skyward great cloud masses rolling, silently swelling and mixing."
Watts (1817-1904)|William Loftus Hare
The Cumulus, from the heaped appearance presented by the convex masses which form this cloud.
The Rain Cloud|Anonymous
There is a slight protuberance on the caudal lobe, which is possibly the remnant of the cumulus.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1|Francis Maitland Balfour

British Dictionary definitions for cumulus

cumulus

/ (ˈkjuːmjʊləs) /

noun plural -li (-ˌlaɪ)

a bulbous or billowing white or dark grey cloud associated with rising air currentsCompare cirrus (def. 1), stratus

histology the mass of cells surrounding a recently ovulated egg cell in a Graafian follicle

Word Origin for cumulus

C17: from Latin: mass

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for cumulus

cumulus

1650s, "a heap," from Latin cumulus "a heap, pile, mass, surplus," from PIE *ku-m-olo-, suffixed shortened form of root *keue- "to swell" (cf. Sanskrit svayati "swells up, is strong," Greek kyein "to swell," Lithuanian šaunas "firm, solid, fit, capable"). Meteorological use for "rounded mass of clouds" first attested 1803.

Science definitions for cumulus

cumulus

[ kyōōm′yə-ləs ]

Plural cumuli (kyōōm′yə-lī′)

A dense, white, fluffy cloud with a flat base, a multiple rounded top, and a well-defined outline. The bases of cumulus clouds form primarily in altitudes below 2,000 m (6,560 ft), but their tops can reach much higher. Cumulus clouds are generally associated with fair weather but can also bring rain when they expand to higher levels. The clouds' edges are well-defined when they are composed of water droplets and fuzzy when made up of ice crystals. See illustration at cloud.