Etymology
From thunder, 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”)
+ storm, from Middle English storm, from Old English storm (“a storm, tempest; a storm of arrows; disturbance, disquiet; uproar, tumult; rush, onrush, attack, violent attack”), from Proto-West Germanic *sturm, from Proto-Germanic *sturmaz (“storm”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)twerH- (“to rotate, swirl, twirl, move around”).
Noun
thunderstorm (plural thunderstorms)
- A storm consisting of thunder and lightning produced by a cumulonimbus cloud, usually accompanied with heavy rain, wind, and sometimes hail; and in rarer cases sleet, freezing rain, or snow.
Credits
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