a type of fair-weather cumulus cloud that appears broken, ragged, or fragmented in appearance, often seen on fair but breezy days.
From Latin fractus (broken) + cumulus (a type of fluffy cloud). Combines root words literally meaning 'broken heap-cloud,' describing the cloud's fragmented appearance.
Meteorologists coined fractocumulus in the 1800s to describe clouds with a distinctly broken look—it's a perfect example of how descriptive Latin roots help scientists communicate across languages about weather patterns.
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