Main Entry: ¹cloud

Pronunciation: \ˈklau̇d\

Function: noun

Usage: often attributive

Etymology: Middle English, rock, cloud, from Old English clūd; perhaps akin to Greek gloutos buttock

Date: 14th century

1 : a visible mass of particles of condensed vapor (as water or ice) suspended in the atmosphere of a planet (as the earth) or moon
2 : something resembling or suggesting a cloud: as a : a light filmy, puffy, or billowy mass seeming to float in the air <a cloud of blond hair> <a ship under a cloud of sail> b (1) : a usually visible mass of minute particles suspended in the air or a gas (2) : an aggregation of usually obscuring matter especially in interstellar space (3) : an aggregate of charged particles (as electrons) c : a great crowd or multitude : swarm <clouds of mosquitoes>
3 : something that has a dark, lowering, or threatening aspect <clouds of war> <a cloud of suspicion>
4 : something that obscures or blemishes <a cloud of ambiguity>
5 : a dark or opaque vein or spot (as in marble or a precious stone)

[cloud illustration]