typhoon Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a tropical cyclone occurring in the western Pacific or Indian oceans

WordNet

Ty*phoon" noun
Etymology
Earlier tuffoon, tuffon, Pg. tuf&atil;o, Ar. tufan a violent storm; probably fr. Gr. tyfw^n, tyfw^s, a violent whirlwind, that rushes upward from the earth, whirling clouds of dust (cf. Typhus); or perhaps from Chin. t'ai-fung a cyclonic wind.
Definitions
  1. A violent whirlwind; specifically, a violent whirlwind occurring in the Chinese seas. 2. a tropical cyclone of the Chinese seas. (2 senses confounded in W1913)

Webster 1913