Tiphon “猛烈的暴风雨，旋风，龙卷风”，1550年代，来自希腊语 typhōn “旋风”，被人格化为一个巨人，风之父，这个名字可能 [Beekes] 来自或与 typhein “冒烟”有关（参见 typhus）。根据 Watkins 的说法，来自原始印欧语 *dheub- “深的，空心的”，通过“深渊中的怪物”的概念。这个神名在中英语中出现在 Wycliffe 的 wynd Tiffonyk（约 1384年，通过拉丁语 typhonicus）。
“气旋，印度或中国海的猛烈飓风”的意义在 1588 年由 Thomas Hickock 翻译的意大利语东印度航行记中得到证明，原作者为威尼斯商人 Caesar Frederick：
concerning which Touffon ye are to vnderstand, that in the East Indies often times, there are not stormes as in other countreys; but euery 10. or 12. yeeres there are such tempests and stormes, that it is a thing incredible, but to those that haue seene it, neither do they know certainly what yeere they wil come. ["The voyage and trauell of M. Caesar Fredericke, Marchant of Venice, into the East India, and beyond the Indies"]
这种对东印度巨型风暴的称呼，最早在欧洲以葡萄牙语出现于16世纪中期。它显然来自阿拉伯语、波斯语和印地语中的 tufan，意为“巨大旋风暴”。Yule [“Hobson-Jobson,” London, 1903] 写道，“可能是 Vasco [da Gama] 和他的追随者直接从阿拉伯海员那里得到了 tufao ...”。
阿拉伯词有时被认为来自希腊语 typhon，但其他来源认为它纯粹是闪米特语的，尽管希腊词可能影响了英语中词的形式。 Al-tufan 在可兰经中多次出现，意为“洪水或暴风雨”，也指诺亚的洪水。中文（粤语） tai fung “大风”也可能影响了英语中词的形式或意义，这个术语和印度的术语可能有相互影响； toofan 在印度仍然意味着“巨大风暴”。
From the thighs downward he was nothing but coiled serpents, and his arms which, when he spread them out, reached a hundred leagues in either direction, had countless serpents' heads instead of hands. His brutish ass-head touched the stars, his vast wings darkened the sun, fire flashed from his eyes, and flaming rocks hurtled from his mouth. [Robert Graves, "Typhon," in "The Greek Myths"]
