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Glossary of Meteorological Terms
beginning with letter A
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absolute Tweet Definition of absolute Like Definition of absolute on Facebook
noun 
  1. (geometry) In a plane, the two imaginary circular points at infinity; in space of three dimensions, the imaginary circle at infinity.
  2. (grammar) The first of the three degrees of comparison.
  3. That which is independent of context-dependent interpretation, inviolate, fundamental (referring to Adjective Definition 4)
as in moral absolutes
adjective (more absolute or (rarely) absoluter, most absolute or (rarely) absolutest)
  1. Loosed from any limitation or condition; uncontrolled; unrestricted; unconditional; as, absolute authority, monarchy, sovereignty, an absolute promise or command.
    • 1962, Hannah Arendt, On Revolution, (1990), page 155
    • : The more absolute the ruler, the more absolute the revolution will be which replaces him.
      1. complete, Complete in itself; perfect; consummate; faultless.
      absolute perfection
      absolute beauty
    • So absolute she seems, And in herself complete. "w:John Milton, John Milton
      1. Viewed apart from modifying influences or without comparison with other objects; actual; real; " opposed to relative and (compar); as, absolute motion; absolute time or space.
      Absolute rights and duties are such as pertain to man in a state of nature as contradistinguished from relative rights and duties, or such as pertain to him in his social relations.
      1. Loosed from, or unconnected by, dependence on any other being; self-existent; self-sufficing.
      Note: In this sense God is called the Absolute by the Theist. The term is also applied by the Pantheist to the universe, or the total of all existence, as only capable of relations in its parts to each other and to the whole, and as dependent for its existence and its phenomena on its mutually depending forces and their laws.
      1. Capable of being thought or conceived by itself alone; unconditioned; non-relative.
      Note: It is in dispute among philosophers whether the term, in this sense, is not applied to a mere logical fiction or abstraction, or whether the absolute, as thus defined, can be known, as a reality, by the human intellect.
    • To Cusa we can indeed articulately trace, word and thing, the recent philosophy of the absolute. "w:William Hamilton, William Hamilton
      1. (rare) Positive; clear; certain; not doubtful.
    • I am absolute "t was very Cloten. "Shakespeare, Cymbeline, IV,ii
      1. (rare) Authoritative; peremptory.
    • The peddler stopped, and tapped her on the head, With absolute forefinger, brown and ringed. "w:Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Elizabeth Barrett Browning
      1. (chemistry) Pure; unmixed; as, absolute alcohol.
      2. (grammar) Not immediately dependent on the other parts of the sentence in government; as, the case absolute. (See ablative absolute.)
     
advection fog Tweet Definition of advection fog Like Definition of advection fog on Facebook
noun 
  1. (context, physics, meteorology) A type of fog caused by the passage of moist air horizontally over a relatively colder surface and the consequent cooling of that air to below its dew point.
advectional. Function: Adjective Source: FM 3-6 Field Behavior of NBC Agents      
advisory Tweet Definition of advisory Like Definition of advisory on Facebook
noun (advisories)
  1. A warning.
    'The Coast Guard issued a small craft , warning little boats to watch out for bad weather.
adjective 
  1. Able to give advice.
    The committee could only offer advice, but since that was almost always accepted they had real power.
     
aerography Tweet Definition of aerography Like Definition of aerography on Facebook
noun (wikipedia, Aerography (Meteorology))
  1. the production of weather charts
  2. a branch of surrealist art in which paintings include a three-dimensional object
(wikipedia, Aerography (Art))      
aerology Tweet Definition of aerology Like Definition of aerology on Facebook
noun 
  1. the branch of meteorology involving the observation of the atmosphere by means of balloons, airplanes, etc.
  2. The study of the air and of the atmosphere. Used in the US Navy until early 1957. The same as meteorology; however, this usage tended to be more administrative than scientific.
     
afterglow Tweet Definition of afterglow Like Definition of afterglow on Facebook
noun 
  1. the glow seen in the sky after sunset
  2. the light emitted by an incandescent object while cooling
  3. the light emitted by a phosphor after excitation
  4. the mildly euphoric feeling experienced after a pleasurable experience, especially after an orgasm or drug-induced high.
     
air mass Tweet Definition of air mass Like Definition of air mass on Facebook
noun 
  1. a widespread body of air, the properties of which can be identified as:
  1. having been established while that air was situated over a particular region of the earth's surface (airmass source region) and
  2. undergoing specific modifications while in transit away from the source region. An air mass is often defined as a widespread body of air that is approximately homogeneous in its horizontal extent, particularly with reference to temperature and moisture distribution; in addition, the vertical temperature and moisture variations are approximately the same over its horizontal extent.
     
albedo Tweet Definition of albedo Like Definition of albedo on Facebook
noun 
  1. (context, physics, meteorology, astronomy) The fraction of incident light or radiation reflected by a surface or body, commonly expressed as percentage.
  2. (context, biology) The white, whitish inner portion of the rind of citrus fruits that is a source of pectin.
     
alpenglow Tweet Definition of alpenglow Like Definition of alpenglow on Facebook
noun 
  1. A rosy or reddish glow seen near sunset or sunrise on the summits of mountains, especially snow covered mountains.
     
altocumulus Tweet Definition of altocumulus Like Definition of altocumulus on Facebook
noun (altocumuli)
  1. { {physics}} Meteorology. A principal medium-level cloud type, white and/or gray in color, which occurs as a layer or patch with a waved aspect, the elements of which appear as laminae, rounded masses, or rolls. These elements usually are sharply outlined, but they may become partly fibrous or diffuse; they may or may not be merged; they generally have shadowed parts; and, by convection, when observed at an angle of more than 30° above the horizon, subtend an angle between 1 degrees and 5 degrees. (Abbreviated Ac.) Source: FM 3-6 Field Behavior of NBC Agents.
     
altostratus Tweet Definition of altostratus Like Definition of altostratus on Facebook
noun (altostrati)
  1. (physics) Meteorology. A principal medium-level cloud type in the form of a gray or blue, bluish (never white) sheet or layer of striated, fibrous, or uniform appearance. Altostratus very often totally covers the sky, and may, in fact, cover an area of several thousand square miles. The layer has parts thin enough to reveal the position of the sun; and if gaps and rifts appear, they are irregularly shaped and spaced. (Abbreviated As.)
Source: FM 3-6 Field Behavior of NBC Agents.      
anemology Tweet Definition of anemology Like Definition of anemology on Facebook
noun 
  1. The study of the movements of the winds.
     
anemometer Tweet Definition of anemometer Like Definition of anemometer on Facebook
noun 
  1. (meteorology) An instrument for measuring and recording the speed of the wind
     
anomaly Tweet Definition of anomaly Like Definition of anomaly on Facebook
noun (anomal, ies)
  1. An irregularity or misproportion.
  2. Something that is strange or unusual.
  3. (context, NASAspeak) Any event, big or small, out of the ordinary, like a shuttle explosion or a broken instrument.
     
anticyclone Tweet Definition of anticyclone Like Definition of anticyclone on Facebook
noun 
  1. (meteorology) a system of winds that spiral out from a centre of high pressure
     
anvil Tweet Definition of anvil Like Definition of anvil on Facebook
noun 
  1. A heavy iron block used in the blacksmithing trade as a surface upon which metal can be struck and shaped.
  2. (anatomy) An incus bone in the inner ear.
     
Arctic Tweet Definition of Arctic Like Definition of Arctic on Facebook
proper noun 
  1. A region of the Earth above the Arctic Circle, containing the North Pole.
     
atmospheric Tweet Definition of atmospheric Like Definition of atmospheric on Facebook
adjective 
  1. of, relating to, produced by, or coming from the atmosphere
  2. (context, of a painting etc) translucent or hazy
  3. evoking a particular emotional or aesthetic quality
a dark thriller
     
atmospheric pressure Tweet Definition of atmospheric pressure Like Definition of atmospheric pressure on Facebook
noun 
  1. The pressure caused by the weight of the atmosphere above an area.
     
Aurora Tweet Definition of Aurora Like Definition of Aurora on Facebook
proper noun 
  1. Roman goddess of the dawn
     
aurora borealis Tweet Definition of aurora borealis Like Definition of aurora borealis on Facebook
noun 
  1. The aurora of the northern hemisphere
     
auroral Tweet Definition of auroral Like Definition of auroral on Facebook
adjective 
  1. Belonging to, or resembling, the aurora (the dawn or the northern lights); rosy.
     

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