Thunder
Thunder , noun
[Old English þunder, þonder, þoner, Anglo-Saxon þunor; akin to þunian to stretch, to thunder, Dutch donder thunder, German donner, Old High German donar, Icelandic þōrr Thor, Latin tonare to thunder, tonitrus thunder, Greek to`nos a stretching, straining, Sanskrit tan to stretch. r52. See Thin, and compare Astonish, Detonate, Intone, Thursday, Tone.]
1.
The sound which follows a flash of lightning; the report of a discharge of atmospheric electricity.
2.
The discharge of electricity; a thunderbolt. [Obsolete]
The revenging gods
'Gainst parricides did all their thunders bend.
3.
Any loud noise; as, the thunder of cannon.
4.
An alarming or statrling threat or denunciation.
The thunders of the Vatican could no longer strike into the heart of princes.
Collocations (4)
Thunder pumper (Zoology) , (a) The croaker (Haploidontus grunniens). (b) The American bittern or stake-driver.
Thunder rod , a lightning rod. [Rare]
Thunder snake (Zoology) , (a) The chicken, or milk, snake. (b) A small reddish ground snake (Carphophis amoena syn. Celuta amoena) native to the Eastern United States; -- called also worm snake.
Thunder tube , a fulgurite. See Fulgurite.
Thunder , intransitive verb
[Anglo-Saxon þunrian. See Thunder, n.]
1.
To produce thunder; to sound, rattle, or roar, as a discharge of atmospheric electricity; -- often used impersonally; as, it thundered continuously.
Canst thou thunder with a voice like him?
2.
Figuratively: To make a loud noise; esp. a heavy sound, of some continuance.
His dreadful voice no more
Would thunder in my ears.
3.
To utter violent denunciation.
Thunder , transitive verb
To emit with noise and terror; to utter vehemently; to publish, as a threat or denunciation.
Oracles severe
Were daily thundered in our general's ear.
An archdeacon, as being a prelate, may thunder out an ecclesiastical censure.