It was in use long before anybody with or without a geology degree had
heard of the word tsunami in UK.

At primary school more than 20 years ago I was taught the difference between
a tsunami and a tidal wave. To say they're interchangeable smacks of dumbing
down to me.

Confusing the two is like calling a spider an insect or am astronomer an
astrologer. Ok, plenty people make the mistake, but that doesn't make it
right.

Regards,

Stuart