Definitions for Tsunami
ts??nɑ miTsuna·mi

Princeton's WordNet(1.00 / 4 votes)Rate this definition:

1. tsunami(noun)

   a cataclysm resulting from a destructive sea wave caused by an earthquake or volcanic eruption

   "a colossal tsunami destroyed the Minoan civilization in minutes"

Wiktionary(2.80 / 5 votes)Rate this definition:

1. tsunami(Noun)

   A very large and destructive wave, generally caused by a tremendous disturbance in the ocean, such as an undersea earthquake or volcanic eruption.

   Etymology: 津波 / 津浪 (つなみ).

Wikipedia(5.00 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Tsunami

   A tsunami ( (t)soo-NAH-mee, (t)suu-; from Japanese: 津波, lit. 'harbour wave', pronounced [ts?nami]) or tidal wave is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explosions (including detonations, landslides, glacier calvings, meteorite impacts and other disturbances) above or below water all have the potential to generate a tsunami. Unlike normal ocean waves, which are generated by wind, or tides, which are generated by the gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun, a tsunami is generated by the displacement of water. Tsunami waves do not resemble normal undersea currents or sea waves because their wavelength is far longer. Rather than appearing as a breaking wave, a tsunami may instead initially resemble a rapidly rising tide. For this reason, it is often referred to as a "tidal wave", although this usage is not favoured by the scientific community because it might give the false impression of a causal relationship between tides and tsunamis. Tsunamis generally consist of a series of waves, with periods ranging from minutes to hours, arriving in a so-called "internal wave train". Wave heights of tens of metres can be generated by large events. Although the impact of tsunamis is limited to coastal areas, their destructive power can be enormous, and they can affect entire ocean basins. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was among the deadliest natural disasters in human history, with at least 230,000 people killed or missing in 14 countries bordering the Indian Ocean. The Ancient Greek historian Thucydides suggested in his 5th century BC History of the Peloponnesian War that tsunamis were related to submarine earthquakes, but the understanding of tsunamis remained slim until the 20th century and much remains unknown. Major areas of current research include determining why some large earthquakes do not generate tsunamis while other smaller ones do; accurately forecasting the passage of tsunamis across the oceans; and forecasting how tsunami waves interact with shorelines.

Freebase(2.57 / 7 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Tsunami

   A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, generally an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explosions, landslides, glacier calvings, meteorite impacts and other disturbances above or below water all have the potential to generate a tsunami. Tsunami waves do not resemble normal sea waves, because their wavelength is far longer. Rather than appearing as a breaking wave, a tsunami may instead initially resemble a rapidly rising tide, and for this reason they are often referred to as tidal waves. Tsunamis generally consist of a series of waves with periods ranging from minutes to hours, arriving in a so-called "wave train". Wave heights of tens of metres can be generated by large events. Although the impact of tsunamis is limited to coastal areas, their destructive power can be enormous and they can affect entire ocean basins; the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was among the deadliest natural disasters in human history with over 230,000 people killed in 14 countries bordering the Indian Ocean.

How to pronounce Tsunami?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say Tsunami in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of Tsunami in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of Tsunami in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of Tsunami in a Sentence

1. Reza Nasir:

   I feel like I have a second chance in life after surviving the tsunami, i'm grateful. It created a momentum for me to change to be better.

2. Rahul Dubey:

   There was a big bang and there was spray that my eyes started burning, screaming like I've never heard before, and I've described it as a' human tsunami' is the best I could see for about a quarter of a block coming down the street.

3. Ian Brownlee:

   If you were on a beach when an earthquake struck, you wouldn't just stand there, waiting for the coming tsunami. You would head for higher ground immediately, well, in this case the earthquake has happened. It's time to seek higher ground now, and not hope for rescue later.

4. Samit Thammasarot:

   If a tsunami happened today, would we be prepared? No, we would not, on an official level there has been, in the past, corruption and cut-price equipment bought that does not meet international standards.

5. Jason Pellegrini:

   Then no more than 15 minutes later, I heard commotion out my window and I looked and I saw the raging water, It came in to the low-lying areas and it rushed fast, and it was like a tsunami.

Images & Illustrations of Tsunami

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