Typhoon Definition

Origin of Typhoon

• Probably ultimately of Sinitic origin, Mandarin 大风 (dàfÄ“ng, “big wind"), Cantonese 大風 (daai⁶ fung¹, “big wind"), via Arabic طوفان (á¹­Å«fān), Hindi तूफ़ान (tÅ«fān), and Persian توفان (tufân). Given the location of typhoons as a Pacific Ocean phenomenon, it is more likely it began east and moved west. Ancient Greek Τυφῶν (Tuphōn, “Typhon, father of the winds") is unrelated but has secondarily contaminated the word.

  From Wiktionary

• Alteration (influenced by Chinese terms for typhoons, perhaps Cantonese toi2fung1 typhoon, and kindred terms) of earlier English tuffon, tufan deluge from Hindi and Urdu tūfān storm of wind and rain, flood from Arabic ṭūfān deluge from Greek tuphōn Typhon, whirlwind

  From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition