altocumulus
/ˌaltəʊˈkjuːmjʊləs
/noun (plural altocumuli /ˌaltəʊˈkjuːmjʊlʌɪ/ /ˌaltəʊˈkjuːmjʊliː/) [mass noun]
Cloud forming a layer of rounded masses with a level base, occurring at medium altitude (typically 2 to 7 km, 6,500 to 23,000 ft): a layer of altocumulus [count noun]: altocumuli moved across the sky...
- No altocumulus cloud anywhere in Earth's real atmosphere would be caught dead above 20,000 feet.
- By the time we had a task and were ready to rock the wind had backed off to only 10 km/h, and with the sun being blocked from wide spread altocumulus clouds conditions suddenly were barely soarable.
- It is caused by light shining through thin altocumulus, which causes the light to bend as it passes through the water droplets within the cloud.
Origin
Late 19th century: from modern Latin alto- (from Latin altus 'high') + cumulus.