Blowdowns

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A sudden and extensive fall of trees caused by strong winds or storms
2. An area where multiple trees have fallen, often due to severe weather conditions
3. The act of trees being uprooted or broken by violent gales, leading to significant ecological changes

Etymology: "Blowdowns" is the plural of "blowdown," a noun formed from the phrasal verb "blow down," meaning to knock something over by the force of the wind. The noun was made by turning that verb phrase into a noun, a process called deverbal formation, so the word simply describes the event of wind felling trees. The plural simply counts separate events or the trees brought down in them. Its parts are plain English: "blow," the wind's action, and "down," indicating the direction of the fall. Nothing in the word's making involves a person, a myth, or a shift in meaning; it describes exactly what it names.

Synonyms: falling trees, downed trees