Where does the word "hurricane" come from?

The word "hurricane" comes from the Spanish "huracán," which in turn probably derived from the Native American Taino language of the Carib people. In Taino, Hurican is variously the god of evil or the god of the storm, and was imported himself from the Mayan god Hurakan.

In Taino tradition, Hurican was one of the creator gods. He blew across the chaotic waters of the primeval ocean to form land. Later, he grew displeased with the second of three generations of humanity, the Wood People. He blew across the waters again, causing a great storm that swept over their island and drowned them all.