Tempestious

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Marked by violent storms or turbulent weather, as an archaic form of tempestuous
2. Describing weather or conditions that are wild, rough and stormy, in the manner of a tempest
3. Characterized by fierce wind, rain and turmoil, or by a passionate and turbulent disposition

Etymology: "Tempestious" is an English adjective meaning "full of storms," formed from "tempest" with the adjective-making suffix "-ous," which is also seen in words such as "famous" and "dangerous." The root "tempest" entered English in the 13th century, borrowed through Old French "tempeste" from Latin "tempestas," meaning storm, weather, or a season of bad weather, itself related to "tempus," time, in the sense of a period of weather. This connection between time and weather is more a matter of shared root than of an obvious sense shift. The adjective is a late, rare formation. The Oxford English Dictionary records it in the 17th century, when English writers were freely adding "-ous" to nouns. It never became common, and it has largely survived as a poetic or literary choice, valued for its sound and its plain description of stormy conditions. Where "stormy" is the everyday word, "tempestious" sounds deliberately archaic.