Where does “thunder” come from?
Thunder comes from Old English þunor, from Proto-Germanic þunraz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)ten-, a root meaning to resound or roar.
thunder (English): The loud rumbling, cracking, or crashing sound...
Definitions
- The loud rumbling, cracking, or crashing sound...
Ancestry of “thunder”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | thunder | Alternative form of thonder |
| 2 | Old English | Þunor | the Anglo-Saxon god of thunder, equivalent to Old Norse Þórr and Old High German Donar |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | þunr | thunder |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | Þunraz | Thor, god of thunder |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ten- | to thunder, rustle, rumble, drone, groan; to... |