# Was there another word for "tsunami", in English and other languages, before 2004 **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 18, 2013, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-another-word-for-tsunami-in-english-and-other-languages-before-2004/666578 "2013-08-18T18:02:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-another-word-for-tsunami-in-english-and-other-languages-before-2004/666578/21 "2013-08-18T22:06:25Z")
> [@brazil84](#): > > However, it’s worth noting that English is full of words and phrases which are inaccurate in the sense that the meaning is different from what is literally implied by their root components. Yep. It’s called an ‘idiom,’ and I think most languages have them. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-another-word-for-tsunami-in-english-and-other-languages-before-2004/666578/22 "2013-08-18T22:16:09Z")
[“Ziggybumwah!”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqk7v70J55k) ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-another-word-for-tsunami-in-english-and-other-languages-before-2004/666578/23 "2013-08-18T22:22:36Z")
> [@brazil84](#): > > I too was taught 20 or 30 years ago that “tsunami” is preferred and that “tidal wave” is inaccurate. I’m one of these as well. I’ve known tsunami was the right word since the 80’s. But I had no idea was a tsunami was until the 2004 video. I thought it was like in the old Japanese prints… ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-another-word-for-tsunami-in-english-and-other-languages-before-2004/666578/24 "2013-08-18T22:31:11Z")
Why does “tsunami” begin with a “t” rather than an “s”? ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-another-word-for-tsunami-in-english-and-other-languages-before-2004/666578/25 "2013-08-18T22:36:44Z")
Because it’s spelt the way it’s pronounced. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-another-word-for-tsunami-in-english-and-other-languages-before-2004/666578/26 "2013-08-18T22:37:08Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > I’ve always heard them called tsunamis. RAE defines tsunami as “a giant wave produced by a seaquake or an eruption at the bottom of the sea” without providing any alternate expressions, which leads me to believe that the term tsunami is what’s been used in Spanish for a long time. That’s weird since (small) Tsunamis aren’t unheard of around the Mediterranean sea (that’s why I read about them as a kid). So, I suspect there used to be a word for them before “Tsunami” was borrowed from Japanese. ETA : According to spanish wikipedia : maremoto ---
**Author:** ![brazil84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@brazil84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brazil84)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-another-word-for-tsunami-in-english-and-other-languages-before-2004/666578/27 "2013-08-18T22:42:08Z")
> [@aNewLeaf](#): > > I’m one of these as well. I’ve known tsunami was the right word since the 80’s. For what it’s worth, I’ve come to believe that “tidal wave” is just as correct as “tsunami,” which literally means “harbor wave” from what I understand. If your aim is to use the most accurate word you can, probably it’s best to say “seismic sea wave.” But even that is arguably inaccurate since the word “wave” apparently comes from “Old English wafian to wave the hands” And a seismic sea wave does not involve hands. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-another-word-for-tsunami-in-english-and-other-languages-before-2004/666578/28 "2013-08-18T22:47:52Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > From 1897 in the OED > [@njtt](#): > > I am not sure that that proves much, though, since the title _Buddha-Fields_ suggests this might be a novel with a Japanese setting or theme, and the shrieking people may even be Japanese. ::sigh:: Using Google Books—1905 > **[Bulletin of the American Geographical Society](https://books.google.com/books?id=oGo9AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA217&dq=tsunami&hl=en&sa=X&ei=GUsRUpiVFpOVqwG8wIGAAQ&ved=0CMUBEOgBMBs#v=onepage&q=tsunami&f=false)** > [@](#): > > Of the 43 destructive earthquakes of Pacific origins, 23 were accompanied by _tsunamis_ or sea-waves… ---
**Author:** ![Arkcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Arkcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arkcon)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-another-word-for-tsunami-in-english-and-other-languages-before-2004/666578/29 "2013-08-18T23:08:35Z")
In the Star Trek episode _Deja’ Q_, first aired on February 5, 1990, the typical latex-masked alien worries that a moon impacting their planet would cause serious tsunamis. At the time, I thought it was odd that the distinctly Asian term for tidal wave would be the word of choice that the show’s producers and writers decided the universal translator would use. But at least, that shows the word has an older provenance than 2004. Listen, this is a cheesy pop-culture reference. I’d be more inclined to believe the scholarly references above. But this pop-culture reference makes it even more likely that the word had become more common in English at that point. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-another-word-for-tsunami-in-english-and-other-languages-before-2004/666578/30 "2013-08-18T23:55:37Z")
Just because, the [ngram for tidal wave vs. tsunami](http://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=tsunami%2Ctidal+wave&year_start=1800&year_end=2008&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=). The usage of tidal wave has been pretty consistent since about the 1870s (though looking at early isntances it appears that most really were talking about tide-related waves, not earthquake related). And the 2004 tsunami really have given that dominance since. But I’d be curious if there was something specific that causes the surge by tsunami in the late '70s. For the record, in elementary school in the Pacific Northwest (1980s) I was taught that “tidal wave” was wrong and tsunami was right. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-another-word-for-tsunami-in-english-and-other-languages-before-2004/666578/31 "2013-08-19T00:39:13Z")
> [@obfusciatrist](#): > > But I’d be curious if there was something specific that causes the surge by tsunami in the late '70s. Total WAG but maybe it was part of the general enthusiasm for south-pacific culture which followed when Hawaii became a state in 1959? ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-another-word-for-tsunami-in-english-and-other-languages-before-2004/666578/32 "2013-08-19T00:42:39Z")
> [@obfusciatrist](#): > > Just because, the [ngram for tidal wave vs. tsunami](http://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=tsunami%2Ctidal+wave&year_start=1800&year_end=2008&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=). Thanks, I didn’t know this great tool. [I used it for French books](http://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=raz+de+mar%C3%A9e%2Craz-de-mar%C3%A9e%2Ctsunami&year_start=1800&year_end=2008&corpus=19&smoothing=3&share=), using two possible spellings of “raz de marée” and discovered I was wrong. “Raz de marée” is used about as much now as it was before. _But_ Tsunami, that was almost never used began a massive surge in 2004. It seems that in fact plenty of people began to write about “tsunamis” after 2004, not instead of but besides “raz de maree”. I did the same [with Spanish](http://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=maremoto%2C+tsunami&year_start=1800&year_end=2008&corpus=21&smoothing=3&share=). It seems the situation is the same. People wrote and kept writing “maremoto” but since, weirdly enough not 2004 but rather 2001, the previously uncommon word “tsunami” began a massive (apparently independent) surge. And something is striking in the Spanish diagram. Between maybe 1908 and 1920, “maremoto” is used maybe 5 times as much as before and after. So, I guess a tsunami hit a Spanish-speaking country around 1908. Does anybody know about such an event? Interesting tool. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-another-word-for-tsunami-in-english-and-other-languages-before-2004/666578/33 "2013-08-19T00:44:52Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > Because it’s spelt the way it’s pronounced. Maybe I’ve been inattentive, but I’ve never heard it pronounced other than “sue nahmy”, at least in the US. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-another-word-for-tsunami-in-english-and-other-languages-before-2004/666578/34 "2013-08-19T00:51:37Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > And something is striking in the Spanish diagram. Between maybe 1908 and 1920, “maremoto” is used maybe 5 times as much as before and after. So, I guess a tsunami hit a Spanish-speaking country around 1908. Does anybody know about such an event? Interesting tool. I think I found it : [1908 earthquake and tsunami of Messina](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1908_Messina_earthquake), according to wikipedia “the deadliest natural disaster in the history of Europe”. However, it doesn’t seem it hit Spain, and there’s no similar surge of the use of “raz-de-marée” at the same time in French, although the event should logically have had about the same impact in both countries. Weird. I’m impressed that the Ngram made be discover indirectly an apparently very important event I had never heard about. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-another-word-for-tsunami-in-english-and-other-languages-before-2004/666578/35 "2013-08-19T00:58:53Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > Maybe I’ve been inattentive, but I’ve never heard it pronounced other than “sue nahmy”, at least in the US. That’s the way it’s transliterated from the Japanese syllabary. Once a foreign word becomes part of the English lexicon, we can pronounce it any darn way we please. ---
**Author:** ![FeAudrey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7feea3/32.png) [@FeAudrey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FeAudrey)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-another-word-for-tsunami-in-english-and-other-languages-before-2004/666578/36 "2013-08-19T01:06:07Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > I think I found it … However, it doesn’t seem it hit Spain … My candidate: the 1906 Ecuador-Columbia earthquake and tsunami: > **[1906 Ecuador–Colombia earthquake](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1906_Ecuador-Colombia_earthquake)** > > The 1906 Ecuador–Colombia earthquake occurred at 10:36:10 (UTC+5) on Wednesday, January 31, 1906, off the coast of Ecuador, near Esmeraldas. The earthquake had a moment magnitude of 8.8 and triggered a destructive tsunami that caused at least 500 casualties on the coast of Colombia. > The earthquake occurred along the boundary between the Malpelo plate, formerly considered the northeastern part of the Nazca plate, and the North Andes plate. The earthquake is likely to be a result of thrust-faultin... ---
**Author:** ![SanDiegoTim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-another-word-for-tsunami-in-english-and-other-languages-before-2004/666578/37 "2013-08-19T01:21:35Z")
Apologies if someone has already mentioned this (if they did I missed it). Growing up in Chicago, Seiche warnings would occasionally be sounded. I always thought the terms Seiche and Tsunami are synonymous. The Chicago lakefront is dotted with small piers. Running the length of the piers, about 4’ high are metal cables called Seiche Lines. More on Seiche: > **[Seiche](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seiche)** > > A seiche (/seɪʃ/ SAYSH) is a standing wave in an enclosed or partially enclosed body of water. Seiches and seiche-related phenomena have been observed on lakes, reservoirs, swimming pools, bays, harbors, caves and seas. The key requirement for formation of a seiche is that the body of water be at least partially bounded, allowing the formation of the standing wave. > The term was promoted by the Swiss hydrologist François-Alphonse Forel in 1890, who was the first to make scientific observations of... ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-another-word-for-tsunami-in-english-and-other-languages-before-2004/666578/38 "2013-08-19T01:24:52Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > Maybe I’ve been inattentive, but I’ve never heard it pronounced other than “sue nahmy”, at least in the US. There’s [four English pronunciations here](http://www.forvo.com/word/tsunami/#en), two Canadian, one American, one UK. All are with an initial “ts” sound. I do agree with you that the “t-less” pronunciation is common, though, as the ts initial sound is odd to most English speakers. Oddly enough, of the online dictionaries I checked ([Dictionary.com](http://Dictionary.com) has Random House, Collins, and American Heritage, plus I checked [m-w.com](http://m-w.com)) only Merriam-Webster has a pronunciation without the “t.” I personally say it with an initial “ts.” ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-another-word-for-tsunami-in-english-and-other-languages-before-2004/666578/39 "2013-08-19T01:37:59Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > Total WAG but maybe it was part of the general enthusiasm for south-pacific culture which followed when Hawaii became a state in 1959? Same deal in the UK and Australia though. At least, I was at school in both those countries in the '70s and '80s and IIRC “tidal wave is the same as tsunami but tsunami is more correct” is what I was taught both places I think the Anglosphere was becoming more receptive to Asian cultures at that time, but I’d trace it more to the growing importance of Japan economically, and just the fact that people’s horizons were generally broadening after about the 60s and 70s ---
**Author:** ![jovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/0ea827/32.png) [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-another-word-for-tsunami-in-english-and-other-languages-before-2004/666578/40 "2013-08-19T01:55:38Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > We commonly used the word tsunami well before 2004. Tidal wave? Yes. Harbour wave? Not so much. Don’t forget that with French, you have an official body to determine language and it dislike foreign words whereas British adopts them freely. Fuck, not that old saw again. That is not true. Not in the least. French speakers borrow words with just as much abandon as English speakers. _This very thread being evidence_. There is no “language police” that watches over the way people speak. There is an institution where old, conservative writers are parked that makes recommendations about usage, but mostly they just sleep and argue. There are various government branches that may or may not listen to them and they publish style guides for their employees, just like almost every large organisation on the planet. The guy on the street just speaks the way he wants and has [zero issues with](http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jargon_informatique) [using foreign words](http://projetbabel.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5169). Apologies for the slight highjack. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-another-word-for-tsunami-in-english-and-other-languages-before-2004/666578.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-another-word-for-tsunami-in-english-and-other-languages-before-2004/666578.md?page=3)