storm

A catch-all term encompassing several meteorological phenomena of different nature and scale. Although it is most commonly identified with the electrical (thunder)storm, it is also used as a synonym for gale, low-pressure system, or tempest. The word "storm" is the neuter plural of the Latin term tormentum (torment, torture), which in the Middle Ages began to be identified with storms/gales, given the disasters and destruction they caused in their wake.