thunder means the 13th sura (chapter) of the Qur'an. It carries an Arena rating of 1768, earned across 41 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, thunder ranks #61 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words, #751 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words, #935 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #1,285 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words.
thunder is pronounced /ˈθʌndə/.
Why “thunder” is a great word
The loud rumbling or crashing sound caused by the rapid expansion of air violently heated by a lightning discharge. From Middle English thunder, from Old English þunor, from Proto-West Germanic *þunr, from Proto-Germanic *þunraz, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ten- ("to thunder"). Unlike "lightning" (the brilliant, forking instant of the discharge itself) or "rumble" (a generic, ground-borne groan lacking celestial consequence), thunder is the atmosphere's visceral aftershock, the sky's own percussion. It is the shudder that follows the flash, the delayed report rolling across the hills, the deep-chested roar that makes your ribs hum—a sound felt in the chest long after the light has left the eyes, the earth's own voice, startled and reverberant, speaking in the language of pressure and release.
Etymology
From Middle English thunder, thonder, thundre, thonre, thunnere, þunre, from Old English þunor (“thunder”), from Proto-West Germanic *þunr, from Proto-Germanic *þunraz, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ten-, *(s)tenh₂- (“to thunder”). Compare astound, astonish, stun. Germanic cognates include West Frisian tonger, Dutch donder, German Donner, Old Norse Þórr (English Thor), Danish torden, Norwegian Nynorsk tore. Other cognates include Persian تندر (tondar), Latin tonō, detonō, Ancient Greek στένω (sténō), στενάζω (stenázō), στόνος (stónos), Στέντωρ (Sténtōr), Irish torann, Welsh taran, Gaulish Taranis. Doublet of donner, Thunor, and Thor.
name
- The 13th sura (chapter) of the Qur'an.
noun
- The loud rumbling, cracking, or crashing sound caused by expansion of rapidly heated air around a lightning bolt.e.g.“Thunder is preceded by lightning.”
- A deep, rumbling noise resembling thunder.e.g.“Off in the distance, he heard the thunder of hoofbeats, signalling a stampede.”
- An alarming or startling threat or denunciation.e.g.“The thunders of the Vatican could no longer strike into the heart of princes.” — 1847, William H. Prescott, A History of the Conquest of Peru:
- The discharge of electricity; a thunderbolt.e.g.“The revenging gods / 'Gainst parricides did all their thunders bend.” — c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, publishe
- Synonym of thunder word.e.g.“Adam's fall and Vico's thunder are embodied in a word of a hundred letters, the first of ten thunders in the Wake.” — 1996, William York Tindall, A Reader's Guide to Finnegans Wake, page 31:
verb
- To produce thunder; to sound, rattle, or roar, as a discharge of atmospheric electricity.e.g.“It thundered continuously.”
- To make a noise like thunder.e.g.“The train thundered along the tracks.”
- To (make something) move very fast (with loud noise).e.g.“Senseless years thunder by / Millions are willing to give their lives for you / Does nothing live on?” — 1983, “Forbidden Colours”, in David Sylvian (lyrics), Ryuichi Sakamoto (music), Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, performed by David Sylvian:
- To say (something) with a loud, threatening voice.e.g.“"Get back to work at once!", he thundered.”
- To produce something with incredible power.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).