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mammatus

mammatus

1 9.9
Clouds that have round pouch-like bumps under them
  • adjective
  • /ˈmæməˌtəs/
  • Specialized
: mamut
  • The weather report mentioned the presence of mammatus clouds following the severe weather.

Examples

  • After the thunderstorm, unusual mammatus clouds appeared across the evening sky.

  • Photographers rushed outside to capture the rare mammatus formations above the city.

  • Wow! Look at those mammatus clouds!

  • The mammatus clouds look amazing!

  • After the thunderstorm, unusual mammatus clouds appeared across the evening sky.

  • Photographers rushed outside to capture the rare mammatus formations above the city.

  • The weather report mentioned the presence of mammatus clouds following the severe weather.

Synonyms

humpy
vsmammatus
1 6.2

A surface with many small bumps

is larger pouch like rounded protuberances seen especially in cloud formations
mammillary
vsmammatus
  • Specialized
1 9.8

Having many small rounded bumps like nipples

is a pouch like rounded cloud form rather than an anatomical term

Surface Forms

mammatus positive

Morphology

mammatus = mamma (semi-transparent) = mamma + atus

The form literally means 'having breast-like/udder-like protuberances' (mamma + -atus), but the Latin suffix and technical meteorological usage make it less immediately obvious to average learners.

Etymology

Mammatus comes from the Latin word mamma, meaning 'breast' or 'udder'. So mammatus describes clouds with rounded, hanging pouches that look like small breasts.