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Torrent vs Tsunami - What's the difference?

torrent | tsunami |

As nouns the difference between torrent and tsunami

is that torrent is a violent flow, as of water, lava, etc.; a stream suddenly raised and running rapidly, as down a precipice while tsunami is a very large and destructive wave, generally caused by a tremendous disturbance in the ocean, such as an undersea earthquake or volcanic eruption.

As an adjective torrent

is rolling or rushing in a rapid stream.

As a verb torrent

is to download in a torrent.

torrent

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) torrent

Noun

(en noun)
  • A violent flow, as of water, lava, etc.; a stream suddenly raised and running rapidly, as down a precipice.
  • * (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)
  • The roaring torrent is deep and wide.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-29, volume=407, issue=8842, page=28, magazine=(The Economist)
  • , title= High and wet , passage=Floods in northern India, mostly in the small state of Uttarakhand, have wrought disaster on an enormous scale.
  • (figurative) A large amount or stream of something.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2011, date=December 21, author=Helen Pidd, work=the Guardian
  • , title= Europeans migrate south as continent drifts deeper into crisis , passage=A new stream of migrants is leaving the continent. It threatens to become a torrent if the debt crisis continues to worsen.}}
  • * {{quote-book, passage=The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees, / The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas, / The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor ...
  • , title=, author=Alfred Noyes, year=1906}}
    Derived terms
    * torrential * torrentiality * torrentially

    See also

    * barrage * inundate * deluge * torrential

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Rolling or rushing in a rapid stream.
  • * Milton
  • Waves of torrent fire.

    Etymology 2

    From BitTorrent and the file extension it uses for metadata (.torrent).

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (Internet, file sharing) A set of files obtainable through a peer-to-peer network, especially BitTorrent.
  • I got a torrent of the complete works of Shakespeare the other day; I'm not sure why.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (internet slang) To download in a torrent.
  • The video rental place didn't have the film I was after, but I managed to torrent it.
    ----

    tsunami

    English

    Alternative forms

    * sunami (nonstandard)

    Noun

    (en-noun)
  • A very large and destructive wave, generally caused by a tremendous disturbance in the ocean, such as an undersea earthquake or volcanic eruption.
  • Synonyms

    * tidal wave (usage conflict)

    Derived terms

    * megatsunami * teletsunami * tsunamigenic * tsunameter

    See also

    * earthquake * flood * natural disaster * seaquake * seiche * tidal wave * waterquake