Where does “thunderbolt” come from?
Thunderbolt derives from English thunder and bolt, with bolt tracing to Middle English bulten, Old English bolt, and Proto-Germanic bultaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰew- and (s)ten-.
thunderbolt (English): A flash of lightning accompanied by a crash of...
Definitions
- A flash of lightning accompanied by a crash of...
Ancestry of “thunderbolt”, step by step
thunderbolt traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Bolt
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Bolt | named after an early postmaster |
| 2 | Middle English | bolt | — |
| 3 | Old English | bolt | bolt |
| 4 | Old English | -tūn | homestead, village, town |
| 5 | Old English | tūn | enclosure, yard; place; dwelling |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | tūn | fence |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | tūną | fence; enclosure |
| 8 | Gaulish | dunum | fort; hill, hillfort |
| 9 | Proto-Celtic | dūnom | stronghold, rampart |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewh₂- | smoke; mist, haze |
via English thunder
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | thunder | The loud rumbling, cracking, or crashing sound... |
| 2 | Middle English | thunder | Alternative form of thonder |
| 3 | Old English | Þunor | the Anglo-Saxon god of thunder, equivalent to Old Norse Þórr and Old High German Donar |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | þunr | thunder |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | Þunraz | Thor, god of thunder |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ten- | to thunder, rustle, rumble, drone, groan; to... |