(də-rā′chō)
n. pl. de·re·chos
A windstorm that is accompanied by a quickly moving, usually bow-shaped band of showers or thunderstorms.
[Spanish derecho, straight (from Old Spanish, from Latin dīrēctus, past participle of dīrigere, to lay straight; see reg- in Indo-European roots), applied in English to windstorms on the model of English tornado taken as if derived directly from Spanish tornado, turned.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.