"Tsunami" for WOTY?
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(OED)
[a. Jap. tsunami, tunami, f. tsu harbour + nami waves.]
A brief series of long, high undulations on the surface of the sea caused by
an earthquake or similar underwater disturbance. These travel at great speed
and often with sufficient force to inundate the land; freq. misnamed a tidal
wave (see _TIDAL_
(http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/crossref?query_type=word&queryword=tsunami&first=1&max_to_show=10&single=1&sort_type=alpha&xrefword=tidal&p
s=a.) a. 1b). Also fig. and attrib.
1897 L. HEARN Gleanings in Buddha-Fields i. 24 ‘Tsunami!’ shrieked the
people; and then all shrieks and all sounds and all power to hear sounds were
annihilated by a nameless shock..as the colossal swell smote the shore with a
weight that sent a shudder through the hills. 1904 Publ. Earthquake
Investigation Comm. Foreign Lang. (Japan) XIX. 6 Records and reports of earthquakes and
‘tsunamis’. 1938 Nature 12 Nov. 881/2 The authenticity of the reports of
earthquakes mentioned in these catalogues is weighed..with records of tunamis.
1956 Jrnl. Earth Sci. Nagoya Univ. IV. 2 The tunamis associated with strong
earthquakes are frequent in Japan. 1967 Technology Week 23 Jan. 34/1 This
system would predict..tsunami run-up floods. 1970 Daily Tel. 27 Nov. 11/7 A
tsunami generated off Chile by the 1960 earthquake crashed into Japan on the
other side at 400 m.p.h. 1972 Science 11 Aug. 502/1 The Food and Drug
Administration..is currently swimming through a tsunami of comments generated by its
announced intention to alter the regulations concerning the dispensation of
methadone. 1981 Monitor (McAllen, Texas) 30 Jan. 3A/3 The National Weather
Service..issued a tsunami warning. 1984 W. GOLDING Paper Men viii. 89 It seemed to
me that I could feel the indifferent threat of the earth through the soles of
my feet, the volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, terrors of nature's fact.
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28 November 1897, Chicago Daily Tribune, pg. 49:
_STORM, FIRE, AND FLOOD AS WOVEN INTO FICTION BY POPULAR AUTHORS._
LAFCADIO HEARN's new book, "Gleanings in Buddha Fields," contains a pretty
story of how an old man came to be worshiped as a god while still living
(...)
"'Tsunami!' shrieked the people; and then all shrieks and all sounds and all
power to hear sounds were annihilated by a nameless shock heavier than any
thunder, as the colossal swell smote the shore with a weight that sent a
shudder through the hills and with a foam-burst like a blaze of sheet lightning."
...
(MAKING OF AMERICA--CORNELL)
* _A Living God_
(http://cdl.library.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/moa/pageviewer?frames=1&coll=moa&view=50&root=/moa/atla/atla0078/&tif=00839.TIF&cite=http://c
dl.library.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/moa/moa-cgi?notisid=ABK2934-0078-112) , by
_Lafcadio Hearn_
(http://cdl.library.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/moa/sgml/ww-idx?type=author&q1=Hearn,%20Lafcadio) : pp. 833-841
* _p. 837_
(http://cdl.library.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/moa/pageviewer?frames=1&coll=moa&view=50&root=/moa/atla/atla0078/&tif=00843.TIF&cite=http://cdl.lib
rary.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/moa/moa-cgi?notisid=ABK2934-0078-112) 1 match of
'tsunami'
* _p. 839_
(http://cdl.library.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/moa/pageviewer?frames=1&coll=moa&view=50&root=/moa/atla/atla0078/&tif=00845.TIF&cite=http://cdl.lib
rary.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/moa/moa-cgi?notisid=ABK2934-0078-112) 1 match of
'tsunami'
____________________________________
in: Title: The Atlantic monthly. / Volume 78, Issue 470 Publisher:
Atlantic Monthly Co. Publication Date: Dec 1896
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(MAKING OF AMERICA--MICHIGAN)
Author: Hepburn, J. C. (James Curtis), 1815-1911.
Title: Japanese-English and English-Japanese dictionary.
Publication date: 1873.