cirrocumulus

9.9

High white clouds that look like small ripples or patches in rows across the sky

noun
/ˌsɪrəˈkjuːmələs/

Specialized

: cirrocúmulo

As we gazed upward, we admired the cirrocumulus clouds drifting gracefully across the blue sky.

Examples

During our hike, we noticed cirrocumulus clouds in the distance, often arranged in neat rows high above.
But the film's director, Philip Kaufman, was not without choices: other kinds of clouds, such as cirrocumulus and the especially beautiful noctilucent clouds, do exist at very high altitudes, as any intro meteorology course will teach you.

Academic text (2002)
Above, a few patches of cirrocumulus spread wispy fans like lacy bleached corals, tinted faintly by my amber spectacles.

Fiction book (1995)
The sky was decorated with cirrocumulus clouds, which formed small, white patches that looked like ripples.

Synonyms

cirrocumulus cloud

vscirrocumulus

Specialized

7.8

A small, thin white cloud high in the sky that looks like tiny ripples

is the technical single word name used without the descriptive noun

Compounds

cirrocumulus cloud

Specialized

7.8

A small, thin white cloud high in the sky that looks like tiny ripples

How High

cirrus

Specialized

2 7.0

cirrocumulus

Specialized

9.9

altocumulus

Specialized

1 8.6

cumulus

4 4.9

stratus

Specialized

1 5.9

Surface Forms

cirrocumulus singular

cirrocumuli plural

Morphology

cirrocumulus = cumulus (semi-transparent) = cirro + cumulus

Formed from the combining form 'cirro-' (high) + 'cumulus' (heap cloud); the construction is compositional but uses specialized combining forms unfamiliar to general learners.

Etymology

The word cirrocumulus comes from two Latin parts: cirro- meaning 'curl' or 'high' and -cumulus meaning 'heap' or 'pile'. So cirrocumulus clouds are high, small patches that look like little curled heaps or ripples in the sky, which explains the name.