Storminesses

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A state characterized by tumultuous weather with strong winds and heavy precipitation
2. The quality of being unsettled or chaotic, often in relation to weather patterns
3. A condition of fierce atmospheric disturbances indicating high levels of atmospheric unrest

Etymology: "Storminesses" is simply the plural of "storminess," a noun formed from the adjective "stormy" with the suffix "-ness," which turns an adjective into a noun meaning "the state or quality of being" that adjective. "Stormy" itself comes from "storm," an Old English word, and the "-y" suffix gives the sense "full of" or "characterised by." So "storminess" means the quality of being stormy, and the plural form counts separate instances or kinds of that quality. The plural is the more unusual part. English nouns formed with "-ness" are usually uncountable, so "storminess" is rarely pluralised, and "storminesses" appears mainly when a writer wants to refer to several distinct spells of turbulence, such as successive gales or bouts of unsettled weather. The meaning is therefore less about abstract chaos and more about separate episodes of it.

Synonyms: turbulence, tempestuousness, unrest, chaos, agitation

Antonyms: calmness, peacefulness, tranquility, serenity, stillness