Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “thunderstorm” come from?

Thunderstorm derives from Middle English thunder and Old English storm, which comes from Proto-Germanic sturmaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European (s)twer- and (s)ten-.

thunderstorm (English): A storm consisting of thunder and lightning...

Definitions

  1. A storm consisting of thunder and lightning...

Ancestry of “thunderstorm”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishstormAny disturbed state of the atmosphere, especially...
2Middle EnglishstormA storm; an instance of intense wind and...
3Old Englishstormstorm
4Proto-West Germanic*sturm—
5Proto-Germanicsturmazstorm
6Proto-Indo-European(s)twer-to rotate, swirl, twirl, move around; to turn...

Words derived from “thunderstorm”

  • thunderstormy
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)twer- →