Definition
A very large and powerful ocean wave caused by an underwater earthquake, volcano, or landslide.
Etymology
From Japanese *tsu* “harbor” + *nami* “wave,” literally “harbor wave,” because it becomes most destructive in coastal areas. The term entered English in the 20th century, replacing older “tidal wave,” which was misleading.
Kelly Says
A tsunami is almost invisible in deep water and only grows into a towering wall near shore, which is why people can be caught off guard. The Japanese name shows that fishermen noticed the damage in the harbor long before scientists named the physics.
Translations
ARالعربية
جزر المد
[jazr al-mad]
CACatalà
tsunami
tsu-na-mi
CSČeština
tsunami
tsu-na-mi
DADansk
tsunami
tsu-na-mi
DEDeutsch
Tsunami
tsu-na-mi
ELΕλληνικά
τσουνάμι
[tsounámi]
ESEspañol
tsunami
tsu-na-mi
FISuomi
tsunami
tsu-na-mi
FRFrançais
tsunami
tsu-na-mi
HIहिन्दी
सुनामी
[su-na-mee]
HUMagyar
tsunami
tsu-na-mi
IDBahasa Indonesia
tsunami
tsu-na-mi
IGIG
Otu tsunami
tsu-na-mi
ITItaliano
tsunami
tsu-na-mi
MSBahasa Melayu
tsunami
tsu-na-mi
NLNederlands
tsunami
tsu-na-mi
NONorsk
tsunami
tsu-na-mi
PLPolski
tsunami
tsu-na-mi
PTPortuguês
tsunami
tsu-na-mi
RORomână
tsunami
tsu-na-mi
RUРусский
цунами
tsu-na-mi
SVSvenska
tsunami
tsu-na-mi
SWKiswahili
tsunami
tsu-na-mi
TEతెలుగు
సముద్ర తీరం
[samudra tīraṁ]
TRTürkçe
tsunami
tsu-na-mi
UKУкраїнська
цунамі
tsu-na-mi
VITiếng Việt
sóng thần
tsu-na-mi