Book 7, Question 25
Why Do Scientists Name Cloud Types in Latin?
Scientists around the world study clouds, but they speak many different languages. So they use Latin names, like cumulus, stratus, and cirrus, that anyone can share. It works like a passport for sky types.
From the book
Page from A Million Whys Book 7
More fun facts
- In the early 1800s, Luke Howard sorted clouds into four main types and gave them Latin names.
- Cumulus means pile or heap, for puffy, lumpy clouds.
- Cirrus means curl of hair, for wispy clouds.
- Stratus means layer, for flat, sheet-like clouds.
- Nimbus means cloud, and Howard used it for low, gray rain clouds.
- Today the World Meteorological Organization's International Cloud Atlas is the official worldwide guide to clouds.
- Scientists recognize ten basic cloud types, grouped by how high they are.
Questions kids ask
Who named the clouds?
Luke Howard gave clouds Latin names in the early 1800s.
What does cumulus mean?
Pile or heap, for puffy, lumpy clouds.