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For over sixty years, the peer-reviewed Glossary of Meteorology has been the authoritative source for definitions of meteorological terms. A living document, containing over 12,000 terms, individual Glossary terms are periodically updated as our fields evolve.

 

• Suggest new term or revision to preexisting term.
• Contacts.
• For information on citing and referencing the Glossary of Meteorology, see the Citation page.
• Glossary History and Procedures.
• If you are looking for the AMS e-book Glossary of Weather, Climate and Ocean, which is a textbook aimed at the K–12 level, it can be found in the AMS Education Bookstore. For further information on this textbook, please contact the AMS Education Program Director.

Spanish-Language Dictionaries and Glossaries in the U.S.

• AMS Glossary Translation Pilot Project - Explore the 50 most viewed terms and their definitions translated into Spanish.

Provided by the AMS Committee for Hispanic and Latinx Advancement (CHALA):

• COMET Translation Resource Center, where the COMET English-Spanish Glossary of Meteorology and Other Terms is housed.
• NWS English to Spanish Dictionary

Disclaimer: Users will be directed outside the American Meteorological Society domain, as these sources are not affiliated with our organization. Please note that these two reference materials are working documents and are updated throughout the year. There may be errors and inconsistencies within these two references. For any questions or to provide feedback, please contact the respective organization by visiting their webpage.

1. The study of the physics, chemistry, and dynamics of the earth's atmosphere, including the related effects at the air–earth boundary over both land and the oceans. Fundamental topics include the composition, structure, and motion of the atmosphere. The goals ascribed to meteorology are the complete understanding and accurate prediction of atmospheric phenomena.

1. The intercommunicating body of saltwater occupying the depressions of the earth's surface.