cumulus

noun

cu·​mu·​lus ˈkyü-myə-ləs 

plural cumuli ˈkyü-myə-ˌlī 

-ˌlē

1

: heap, accumulation

2

[New Latin, from Latin] : a dense puffy cloud form having a flat base and rounded outlines often piled up like a mountain see cloud illustration

Synonyms

• accretion
• accumulation
• assemblage
• collection
• cumulation
• gathering
• lodgment
• lodgement
• pileup

Examples of cumulus in a Sentence

the cumulus of sundry things that fill up one's attic and somehow sum up a lifetime of experiences

Recent Examples on the Web

Notice how the cumulus clouds diminish during the #eclipse and take almost an hour after totality to redevelop! —Mary Gilbert, CNN, 7 Apr. 2024

Clouds, particularly shallow cumulus clouds, tend to vanish during a solar eclipse. —Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024

Clouds caused by stronger atmospheric processes like fronts or large areas of low pressure are not likely to be as affected, but a cute little cumulus cloud might be. —Marshall Shepherd, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024

De Roode hopes those across North America gearing up for the next solar eclipse remember to keep an eye out for any vanishing low-lying cumulus clouds. —Ayurella Horn-Muller, CNN, 30 Mar. 2024

The vanishing of cumulus clouds during a partial solar eclipse was confirmed by researchers using satellite images taken during three partial solar eclipses across Africa between 2005 and 2016. —Jamie Carter, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024

Because cumulus clouds can easily transform into rain clouds, the team's finding suggests climate geoengineering that involves blocking sunlight could effect weather patterns and precipitation. —Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 26 Feb. 2024

Soon the old Cessna is bouncing through the cumulus, the dense rainforest below resembling a head of broccoli. —Nina Burleigh, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Jan. 2024

But imagine, walls of Wingate Sandstone climbing out of canyons, reaching for a blue sky dotted with cumulus clouds. —Alexandra Cheney, Travel + Leisure, 20 Nov. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Latin

First Known Use

1659, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

cumulus

noun

cu·​mu·​lus ˈkyü-myə-ləs 

plural cumuli -ˌlī 

-ˌlē

: a dense puffy cloud form having a flat base and rounded outlines often piled up like a mountain

Medical Definition

cumulus

noun

cu·​mu·​lus ˈkyü-myə-ləs 

plural cumuli -ˌlī, -ˌlē 

: the projecting mass of granulosa cells that bears the developing ovum in a graafian follicle

called also discus proligerus