Definition of: tornado

(tôr·nā′dō) noun plural ·does or ·dos
1. A whirling wind of exceptional violence, usually associated with thunderstorms and accompanied by a pendulous, funnel–shaped cloud marking the narrow path of greatest destruction.
2. A violent thunderstorm or squall of the west coast of Africa.
3. A hurricane or violent windstorm of the tropical Atlantic. See synonyms under CYCLONE. [Alter. of ternado, prob. alter. of Sp. tronada a thunderstorm <tronar thunder <L tonare; infl. in form by Sp. tornar turn, because characterized by shifting or whirling winds]
—tor·nad′ic (-nad′ik) adjective