altostratus cloud
- noun
- /ˌæltəˈstrætəs klaʊd/
- Specialized
:
nube altostrato
- A thick layer of altostratus cloud covered the sky, making the afternoon look unusually dull.
Examples
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The soft sunlight filtered through the altostratus cloud, giving the landscape a bluish hue.
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Pilots kept an eye on the approaching altostratus cloud, which signaled a change in the weather.
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The sky was filled with altostratus clouds this morning.
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An altostratus cloud typically indicates that rain is on the way.
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A thick layer of altostratus cloud covered the sky, making the afternoon look unusually dull.
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Pilots kept an eye on the approaching altostratus cloud, which signaled a change in the weather.
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An altostratus cloud often indicates that light precipitation may be expected soon.
Synonyms
693
1.0
A group of tiny water drops or ice high in the sky
1
3.9
A long, flat group of clouds seen from a distance
A gray or blue cloud layer in the middle part of the sky that often covers the whole sky
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally transparent: 'altostratus' names a mid-altitude cloud type and 'cloud' indicates it is a cloud, so the combined meaning is simply a mid-level cloud of the altostratus type. Although the term is somewhat technical, the semantic relation is straightforward and predictable from the constituents, so a B1 learner who knows both words would understand it.
Etymology
The name altostratus cloud comes from two parts: alto, meaning 'middle' height, and stratus, meaning a flat 'layer'. So altostratus cloud describes a gray, even sheet of cloud in the middle sky that can make the day look dull.