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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend August 30, 2005 Since you asked ‘Huracan’ was the Carib god of storms and wind We all know the meaning of "hurricane," but where did the name originate? — Jim M., Grants Pass Right where you might think, Jim. In the Caribbean region, where the big weather disturbances often move through after originating in the Atlantic Ocean. The word comes to us via Spanish and Portuguese but originally came from the Carib (also called the Caribbean Amerindians), the indigenous people of the Lesser Antilles in what is today the Caribbean Sea. Huracan was the Carib god of storms and wind. When the Spanish and Portuguese took over the region in the 16th century, they borrowed the word. It was hurac�n in Spanish and furac o in Portuguese. Under colonial rule, the Carib were all but exterminated. Incidentally, we also borrowed the name for the same kind of weather disturbance when it occurs in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The word "typhoon" is from the Chinese t�i feng , which literally means "big wind." Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by e-mail to Since you asked ">[email protected] . We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Online Pharmacy online casino Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Rogue Valley Travel Reservationstogo Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Natto Kinase Nattokinase Casino Gambling Sites Budget Website Templates Investments & Loans Advertisement s