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Origin and history of thunder

thunder(n.)

Middle English thonder "sudden or rumbling loud noise which follows a flash of lightning," from Old English þunor "thunder, thunderclap; the god Thor," from Proto-Germanic *thunraz (source also of Old Norse þorr, Old Frisian thuner, Middle Dutch donre, Dutch donder, Old High German donar, German Donner "thunder"), from PIE *(s)tene- "to resound, thunder" (source also of Sanskrit tanayitnuh "thundering," Persian tundar "thunder," Latin tonare "to thunder"). Swedish tordön is literally "Thor's din." Since 18c. explained as due to sudden disturbance of the air caused by a discharge of electricity.

The unetymological -d- also is found in Dutch and Icelandic versions of the word (see D). Of any loud, resounding noise or awful or startling threat or denunciation by 1590s. In mild oaths (by thunder) by 1709; as an intensifier (like thunder) by 1826. To steal (one's) thunder "use the ideas, rhetoric, etc. of one's opponent to one's own advantage" is by 1838, from the theatrical anecdote (attested by 1821) of Dennis's ire at seeing his stage-effect thunder used in another's production. Thunder-stick, an imagined word used by primitive peoples for "gun," attested from 1904.

also from mid-13c.

thunder(v.)

Middle English thondren, "give forth thunder, resound with thunder," from Old English þunrian, from the source of thunder (n.). The figurative sense of "speak bombastically, utter with a loud, threatening voice" is recorded from mid-14c. Related: Thundered; thundering. Compare Dutch donderen, German donnern.

also from 13c.

Entries linking to thunder

fourth letter of the Roman alphabet, from Greek delta, from Phoenician and Hebrew daleth, pausal form of deleth "door," so called from its shape.

The form of the modern letter is the Greek delta (Δ) with one angle rounded. As the sign for "500" in Roman numerals, it is said to be half of CIƆ, which was an early form of M, the sign for "1,000." 3-D for "three-dimensional" is attested from 1952.

Unetymological -d- is the result of a tendency in English and neighboring languages, perhaps for euphony, to add -d- to -n-, and especially to insert or swap a -d- sound when -l- or -r- follow too closely an -n-.

Compare sound (n.1), thunder (n.), pound (v.), spindle, kindred, strand (n.2) "fiber of rope," dialectal rundel, rundle for runnel. Swound was a form of swoun (swoon) attested from mid-15c, and used by Malory, Spenser, Lyly, Middleton, Beaumont & Fletcher. Also obsolete round (n.) "whispering," variant of roun "secret, mystery, divine mystery" (from Old English run, source of rune), with unetymological -d attested by 15c. in the verb.

Among the words from French are powder (n.), meddle, tender (adj.), remainder, gender (n.), also riband, jaundice. It is less evident in spider (an agent noun from the Germanic *spin- root), and perhaps explains lender in place of loaner.

astonish(v.)

c. 1300, astonien, "to stun, strike senseless," from Old French estoner "to stun, daze, deafen, astound," from Vulgar Latin *extonare, from Latin ex "out" (see ex-) + tonare "to thunder" (see thunder (n.)); so, literally "to leave someone thunderstruck." The modern form (influenced by English verbs in -ish, such as distinguish, diminish) is attested from 1520s. The meaning "amaze, shock with wonder" is from 1610s.