Turbulent means wild with disorder. Turbulent air, a turbulent period, turbulent times.
In fluid dynamics it is exact and important: turbulent flow is chaotic and mixing, against laminar flow, which is smooth and layered, and predicting the switch between them is one of the hardest unsolved problems in physics. In ordinary use it means disordered and unsettled. Note turbulence, which passengers know; and that the Latin turba meant a crowd or a commotion.
1adjectiveturbulentWild with disorder.
“The country went through a turbulent period of strikes, riots and changes of government.”
2adjectivechaoticChaotic and mixing, of a flow.
“Where the river narrows, the water becomes turbulent and full of whirlpools.”
turbulent is a quality of disorder.
Also accepted in games: stormy
Latin turbulentus comes from turba, a crowd or disorder. Disturb, trouble and turbine come from the same commotion.
Latin
turbulentus
Middle French
turbulent
Middle English
turbulent
English, today
turbulent
Built from
From Middle English turbulent, from Middle French turbulent, from Latin turbulentus, from turba (“disorder, tumult, crowd”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA