Other forms: tempests
A tempest is a violent storm. Weather the tempest, a raging tempest, a tempest at sea.
It is a literary word now; forecasters say storm. A tempest in a teapot is the American form of the British storm in a teacup, meaning a great fuss about nothing. Shakespeare's play begins with one and takes its name from it.
1nountempestA violent storm.
“The little ship was tossed about by a tempest for three days and nights.”
tempest is a storm.
Latin tempestas meant a season or weather, from tempus, time. It displaced the native Old English hrith.
Latin
tempestas — storm
Old French
tempeste
English, today
tempest
Built from
From Old French tempeste (French tempête), from Latin tempestas (“storm”), from tempus (“time, weather”). Displaced native Old English hrīþ.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA