Home › Glossary › Letter W

Waterspout

Weather
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A rotating column of air over water, often extending from a cloud to the surface.

Detailed Definition
A waterspout is a whirling funnel of air that forms over a lake, river, or sea, sometimes beneath a towering storm cloud and sometimes in fairer weather. It may lift spray into a visible twisting column and can threaten small boats. In poetry, a waterspout can make the boundary between sea and sky seem broken, drawing upward images of desire, danger, and transformation.
Example
Example in poetry:
“A waterspout stitched sea to cloud with a spinning thread” gives the funnel’s shape a vivid visual metaphor; “Far from shore, the waterspout walked across the bay” personifies the rotating column without losing its menace; A sailor’s poem might say, “We watched the waterspout gather itself, then break apart in rain”; Waterspouts can symbolize unstable connection between sky and water, making them effective in poems about change, danger, or sudden revelation
Additional Notes
A waterspout is a spinning air column over water, related to a tornado but not always as strong. It can create imagery of spirals, power, and unstable seas.
Also Known As
Water Spout Marine Tornado Gargoyle
Skip to main content