List of cloud types
The list of cloud types groups the tropospheric types as "high" (cirrus, cirrocumulus, cirrostratus), "middle" (altocumulus, altostratus), "multi-level" (nimbostratus, cumulus, cumulonimbus), and "low" (stratocumulus, stratus) according to the altitude level or levels at which each cloud is normally found. Small cumulus are commonly grouped with the low clouds because they do not show significant vertical extent. Of the multi-level genus-types, those with the greatest convective activity are often grouped separately as "towering vertical". The genus types all have Latin names.
Cirrus cloud
Cirrus (cloud classification symbol: Ci) is a genus of atmospheric cloud generally characterized by thin, wispy strands, giving the type its name from the Latin word "cirrus", meaning a ringlet or curling lock of hair. This cloud can form at any altitude between and above sea level. The strands of cloud sometimes appear in tufts of a distinctive form referred to by the common name of "mares' tails".