cirrostratus

[ sir-oh-strey-tuhs, -strat-uhs ]

noun

, plural cir·ro·stra·tus.

1. a cloud of a class characterized by a composition of ice crystals and often by the production of halo phenomena and appearing as a whitish and usually somewhat fibrous veil, often covering the whole sky and sometimes so thin as to be hardly discernible: of high altitude, about 20,000–40,000 feet (6000–12,000 meters).

cirrostratus

/ ˌsɪrəʊˈstrɑːtəs /

noun

1. a uniform layer of cloud above about 6000 metres (20 000 feet)

cirrostratus

/ sîr′ō-străt′əs /

, Plural cirrostrati sîr′ō-străt′ī′

1. A thin, hazy, high-altitude cloud composed of ice crystals, often covering the sky in sheets and producing a halo effect around the sun. Cirrostratus clouds generally form between 6,100 and 12,200 m (20,000 and 40,000 ft).
2. See illustration at cloud

Derived Forms

• ˌcirroˈstrative, adjective

Other Words From

• cirro·strative adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cirrostratus¹

First recorded in 1795–1805; cirro- + stratus

Example Sentences

The clouds are call cirrus or cirrostratus and they form very high in the atmosphere at a similar height to the cruising altitude of regular aircraft.

From BBC

Going through 70 years of books on the science of clouds, West explains why, depending on atmospheric conditions, contrails can either evaporate rapidly or persist and grow into sheets of cirrostratus.

From The Guardian

Ms Donovan said the meteorological phenomenon usually forms high up in the sky among the cirrus and cirrostratus clouds.

From BBC

Check out “The Cloudspotter’s Guide” from your local library, pack up a comfortable blanket to spread in a field and spend the afternoon identifying cirrostratus and cumulonimbus clouds.

From Washington Post

As skies clear in the afternoon and the temperature hits 60 degrees, we may see higher clouds: wispy cirrus or cirrostratus, made of ice crystals 20,000 feet up.

From New York Times