The word 'tempest' entered Middle English via Old French tempeste, tracing its ultimate origin to the Latin tempestās. This Latin term originally signified a "period of time" or "season," a meaning directly inherited from its root, tempus (time). The semantic evolution from "time" to "storm" is logical, as a tempest is a specific, often violent, period of weather. Over centuries, the word's meaning narrowed in English to focus specifically on the storm itself, while its original connection to time and seasons faded from common awareness, leaving a powerful noun for a tumultuous disturbance, whether meteorological or metaphorical.

The word 'tempest' is a simplex word borrowed into English as a complete unit. It originates from the Latin noun tempestās, meaning "season, weather, storm," which itself is derived from tempus, meaning "time, season."