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Glite Dictionary
☁️ A cloud bump ☁️ With pouch shapes
mammatus

mammatus

1 9.9
A rounded pouch that hangs under certain storm clouds
  • noun
  • /ˈmæməˌtəs/
  • Specialized
: mamut

Examples

  • - Yeah, look at those mammatus.

    Twister (1996)

  • The sky was filled with stunning mammatus clouds that seemed to hang low after the storm.

  • As the thunderstorm passed, we admired the unique mammatus formations that appeared beneath the clouds.

  • Photographers often seek out mammatus clouds for their striking, pouch-like shape in the sky.

Surface Forms

mammatus singular
mammatuses plural

Morphology

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

Formed from 'mamma' (breast/udder) plus a Latin adjectival/nominal ending; the pictorial relation is clear but the term is technical and the suffix is not productive in everyday English.

Etymology

Mammatus as a noun comes from the Latin word mamma, meaning 'breast' or 'udder', and it names one of the rounded, pouch-like lobes that hang under certain storm clouds.