I had always thought typhoon was a Japanese word. But my father-in-law corrected me today. He said that the word was actually Chinese in origin. Specifically, its roots are from the Cantonese words for "big wind", i.e., dai fung. I was pretty impressed with that. I checked the Merriam-Webster and it also adds that there are etymological roots with a similar Arabic word tūfān (which means hurricane) and also from the Greek word typhōn (which means violent storm). Somehow, I think that's a stretch because typhoons are used only in reference to storms on Asia Pacfic's coast.
Allan Metcalf, in his book, "The World in so Many Words", points out that because of the British presence in Hong Kong for 150 years, the English language has absorbed a number of Cantonese words (the dominant Chinese dialect spoken in Hong Kong). He records 1771 as the year that typhoon entered the Engish lexicon. Other Cantonese words that entered the English language include sampan (boat, 1620), tong (secret society, 1883), cheongsam (dress with slit skirt, 1952), and shar-pei (dog, 1975).
