Where does “thunderhead” come from?
thunderhead (English) comes from English head, from English -y, from Middle English -y, from Old English -iġ, from Proto-West Germanic -g, from Proto-Germanic -gaz, from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos — -y, -ic.
thunderhead (English): The top portion of a cumulonimbus cloud, which...
Definitions
- The top portion of a cumulonimbus cloud, which...
Ancestry of “thunderhead”, step by step
thunderhead traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English head
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | head | The part of the body of an animal or human which... |
| 2 | English | -y | Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives... |
| 3 | Middle English | -y | Designates an adjective, in many cases formed by... |
| 4 | Old English | -iġ | -y, -ic |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -g | Forms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -gaz | -y |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |
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... |