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
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Bolt | — |
| 2 | Middle English | bolt | — |
| 3 | Old English | bolt | bolt |
| 4 | Old English | -tūn | — |
| 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 |