Even if you haven't heard about turbulence, you can guess what it means. Let's explain it more specifically.
If you observe fluid (vapor such as air or liquid such as water) flow, you will recognize there are two different phases. For example, cigarette smoke rising straightly at first suddenly becomes turbulent. A turbulent flow is such a ruffled flow, and the straight flow is called a laminar flow. Various phenomena that we come across in daily life are related to turbulence. You may see turbulent flows in several occasions: on a large-scale, the flow of a river, stream, and atmospheric air, or on a small-scale, a drop of milk in a cup of coffee stirred with a spoon. Here is a photo that may help you to understand what a turbulent flow looks like.
References (in Japanese)
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Sato, H., 1982, "Ranryu" (Butsurigaku one point 17), Kyoritsu-shuppan, Tokyo.
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Kida, S., 1988, "Ranryu-no Fushigina Furumai" (Frontier Science Series), Maruzen, Tokyo.