The noun refers to a heavy rainstorm or shower, often distinguished from ordinary rain (ὑετός) by its intensity and suddenness. In Homer and classical authors, it frequently denotes a storm sent by Zeus—violent, even destructive. The word can also carry metaphorical force, describing the onslaught of battle or calamity. In Luke 12:54, Jesus uses it in a weather proverb: when a cloud rises in the west, ὄμβρος (a shower) is coming. The multilingual glosses consistently emphasize sudden precipitation: Spanish aguacero (downpour), French pluie (rain), English 'shower.' It's not gentle drizzle, but the kind of rain that arrives with force and compels attention.