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Webster 1913 Edition

Torrent

Tor′rent

,
Noun.
[F., fr. L.
torrens
,
-entis
, fr.
torrens
burning, roaring, boiling, p. pr. of
torrere
to dry by heat, to burn. See
Torrid
.]
1.
A violent stream, as of water, lava, or the like; a stream suddenly raised and running rapidly, as down a precipice.
The roaring
torrent
is deep and wide.
Longfellow.
2.
Fig.: A violent or rapid flow; a strong current; a flood;
as, a
torrent
of vices; a
torrent
of eloquence
.
At length, Erasmus, that great injured name, . . .
Stemmed the wild
torrent
of a barbarous age.
Pope.

Tor′rent

,
Adj.
[See
Torrent
,
Noun.
]
Rolling or rushing in a rapid stream.
“Waves of torrent fire.”
Milton.

Webster 1828 Edition

Torrent

TOR'RENT

,
Noun.
[L. torrens. This is the participle of torreo, to parch; Eng. tear.]
1.
A violent rushing stream of water or other fluid; a stream suddenly raised and running rapidly, as down a precipice; as a torrent of lava.
2.
A violent or rapid stream; a strong current; as a torrent of vices and follies; a torrent of corruption.
Erasmus, that great injur'd name,
Stemm'd the wild torrent of a barb'rous age.

TOR'RENT

,
Adj.
Rolling or rushing in a rapid stream; as waves of torrent fire.

Definition 2024

torrent

torrent

English

Noun

torrent ‎(plural torrents)

  1. A violent flow, as of water, lava, etc.; a stream suddenly raised and running rapidly, as down a precipice.
    • Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
      The roaring torrent is deep and wide.
    • 2013 June 29, “High and wet”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, page 28:
      Floods in northern India, mostly in the small state of Uttarakhand, have wrought disaster on an enormous scale. […] Rock-filled torrents smashed vehicles and homes, burying victims under rubble and sludge.
    Rain fell on the hills in torrents.‎
    A torrent of green and white water broke over the hull of the sail-boat.‎
  2. (figuratively) A large amount or stream of something.
    • 2011 December 21, Helen Pidd, “Europeans migrate south as continent drifts deeper into crisis”, in the Guardian:
      A new stream of migrants is leaving the continent. It threatens to become a torrent if the debt crisis continues to worsen.
    • 1906, Alfred Noyes, The Highwayman:
      The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees, / The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas, / The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor ...
    They endured a torrent of inquiries.‎
Derived terms
Translations

See also

Adjective

torrent ‎(comparative more torrent, superlative most torrent)

  1. Rolling or rushing in a rapid stream.
    • Milton
      Waves of torrent fire.

Etymology 2

From BitTorrent and the file extension it uses for metadata (.torrent).

Noun

torrent ‎(plural torrents)

  1. (Internet, file sharing) A set of files obtainable through a peer-to-peer network, especially BitTorrent.
    I got a torrent of the complete works of Shakespeare the other day; I'm not sure why.
Translations

Verb

torrent ‎(third-person singular simple present torrents, present participle torrenting, simple past and past participle torrented)

  1. (Internet slang, transitive) To download in a torrent.
    The video rental place didn't have the film I was after, but I managed to torrent it.

Catalan

Noun

torrent m ‎(plural torrents)

  1. current

French

Etymology

From Latin torrens

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /tɔ.ʁɑ̃/

Noun

torrent m ‎(plural torrents)

  1. A torrent

Latin

Verb

torrent

  1. third-person plural present active indicative of torreō

Welsh

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈtɔrɛnt/

Verb

torrent

  1. (literary) third-person plural imperfect / conditional of torri
  2. (literary) third-person plural imperative of torri

Mutation

Welsh mutation
radical soft nasal aspirate
torrent dorrent nhorrent thorrent
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Etymology

[1601] From French torrent

Pronunciation

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