Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
storm cone

storm cone

8.4
A pointed cloth shape raised to warn ships of strong winds near the coast
  • noun
  • Jargon
translation icon : cono de tormenta
  • A red storm cone was visible from the docks, warning all vessels of dangerous winds.

Examples

  • The harbor master ordered the storm cone to be raised before the gale arrived.

  • Sailors quickly recognized the meaning of the storm cone fluttering atop the signal mast.

  • The sailor raised the storm cone as the winds picked up.

  • A storm cone is crucial for safety at sea.

  • A red storm cone was visible from the docks, warning all vessels of dangerous winds.

  • Sailors quickly recognized the meaning of the storm cone fluttering atop the signal mast.

  • The harbor master ordered the storm cone to be raised before the gale arrived.

Synonyms

storm signal
vsstorm cone
  • Philippine
3.3

A warning sign that a strong storm is coming

is a canvas cone hoisted at sea to warn of strong approaching winds

Surface Forms

storm cone singular
storm cones plural

Morphology

storm + cone

The phrase is compositionally clear — a B1 learner who knows 'storm' and 'cone' can infer it refers to a cone associated with storms (i.e., a cone used in storm contexts). However, the precise, conventionalized maritime function (a canvas cone hoisted as a warning signal for high winds) is specialized and not fully predictable from the constituents alone, so it is only partly transparent.

Etymology

Storm cone is a simple canvas cone raised on a mast to show an approaching storm. Sailors and people on shore used it as a 'warning' that strong winds were coming, so the name now means a signal put up to warn of dangerous winds.