Where does “thundercloud” come from?
thundercloud (English) comes from English cloud, from Middle English cloud, from Old English clūd, from Proto-West Germanic klūt, from Proto-Germanic klūtaz, from Proto-Indo-European gelewdos, from Indo-European *gel-.
thundercloud (English): A large, dark cloud, usually a cumulonimbus,...
Definitions
- A large, dark cloud, usually a cumulonimbus,...
Ancestry of “thundercloud”, step by step
thundercloud traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English cloud
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | cloud | A rock; boulder; a hill; A visible mass of water... |
| 2 | Middle English | cloud | A small elevation; a hill; A clod, lump, or... |
| 3 | Old English | clūd | mass of stone, rock, boulder, hill; rock, boulder |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | klūt | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | klūtaz | lump, clod; boulder, rock; hill |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gelewdos | — |
| 7 | Indo-European | *gel- | — |
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... |