Rainband

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A meteorological feature characterized by a linear arrangement of clouds that leads to concentrated precipitation
2. A formation of clouds typically aligned in bands that generates localized areas of rain during storm events
3. A distinct weather pattern where clusters of clouds are organized in linear strips, contributing to focused rainfall and storm activity

Etymology: "Rainband" is a plain compound, built from "rain" and "band." "Rain" comes from Old English "regn," and "band" comes from Old Norse "band," meaning something that binds or ties, which later came to mean a strip or stripe of something. Put together, the word describes a strip or stripe of rainy cloud, a band of rain stretched across the sky rather than a single shower. The second element is the more interesting one. "Band" passed into English as a term for a bond or fetter, and from that sense it grew to mean a long narrow piece or stripe, which is why we speak of a band of colour in a rainbow or a band of cloud. "Rainband" simply applies that stripe-sense to the sky, naming a streak of weather that runs in a line rather than a scattered patch.

Synonyms: precipitation band, rainfall area