Greek word · G5189

τυφωνικός

typhōnikos

tempestuous

'Like a typhōn': whirling, squally, violently gusting. The noun typhōn means a whirlwind or a fierce gust that drops from cloud. In myth Typhon was the monster who fathered the destructive winds.

Appears once in the Greek New Testament. · Updated November 15, 2026

What it means

τυφωνικός, -ή, -όν

(τῦφων, a hurricane, typhoon)

tempestuous: Acts 27:14.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Acts 27:14

Range of meaning: 'Like a typhōn': whirling, squally, violently gusting. The noun typhōn means a whirlwind or a fierce gust that drops from cloud. In myth Typhon was the monster who fathered the destructive winds.
Against the English: KJV, YLT and ESV have 'tempestuous', NASB 'violent', NIV 'of hurricane force', NLT 'of typhoon strength', BSB 'cyclone'. The last three bring in modern weather categories.
How it drifted: English 'typhoon' partly comes from the Greek word, but it now names a Pacific tropical cyclone. The word 'cyclone' was coined in 1848 for large rotating storm systems. Neither matches the ancient meaning.
Used elsewhere in the period: Aristotle (Meteorologica III.1) describes the typhōn as a violent whirling wind that falls from cloud and can carry things off. Later Greek writers on weather and sailing use the word for squalls that endanger ships. This adjective appears only here in the Greek Bible.

Where it appears

Acts · 1

Acts 27:14 τυφωνικὸς tempestuous

But it was not long before a cyclone called the Northeaster swept down across the island.

Here: Used only here in the New Testament. It comes from typhōn, a violent whirling gust or squall. The wind was gusting and twisting, not a steady blow.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.