Beaufort scale: Meaning and Definition of

Beau'fort scale'

Pronunciation: (bō'furt), [key]
— (no longer in technical use)
  1. a scale of wind forces, described by name and range of velocity, and classified as from force 0 to force 12, or, sometimes, to force 17.
  2. a scale of the states of sea created by winds of these various forces up to and including force 10.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.