thunderbolt

English

Etymology

From thunder + bolt.

Noun

thunderbolt (plural thunderbolts)

1. A flash of lightning accompanied by a crash of thunder.
2. (figuratively) An event that is terrible, horrific or unexpected.
   • Dryden

     the Scipios' worth, those thunderbolts of war

3. Vehement threatening or censure; especially, ecclesiastical denunciation; fulmination.
   • Hakewill

     He severely threatens such with the thunderbolt of excommunication.

4. (soccer) A very powerful shot.
   • 2011 February 5, Michael Kevin Darling, “Tottenham 2 - 1 Bolton”, BBC:

     Substitute Niko Kranjcar's injury-time thunderbolt gave Tottenham a dramatic win over Bolton.

5. (paleontology) A belemnite, or thunderstone.
6. (heraldry) A charge in the form of two joined bundles with four rays of lightning emerging from them, resembling the thunderbolt of Jupiter.

Derived terms

• thunderbolt beetle

See also

• thunderclap
• lightningbolt

Translations

flash of lightning accompanied by thunder

• Arabic: صاعقة (ṣāʿiqa)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 霹靂, 霹雳 (zh) (pīlì), 迅雷 (zh) (xùnléi)

• Chuvash: ҫиҫӗм (śiśĕm)
• Finnish: salama (fi), salamanisku
• French: coup de tonnerre (fr) m
• Friulian: folc m, saete f, sfulmin
• German: Donnerkeil m, Blitzstrahl m, Blitz mit Donnerschlag m
• Greek: κεραυνός (el) m (keravnós)
• Istriot: sàita f
• Italian: fulmine (it), folgore (it), saetta (it), lampo (it)
• Japanese: 雷 (ja) (かみなり, kaminari), 落雷 (ja) (らくらい, rakurai)
• Jèrriais: foudre f
• Korean: 벼락 (ko) (byeorak)
• Latin: fulmen n

• Low German: Blitzsteen m
• Maori: epa
• Persian: رعد و برق (fa) (ra'd-o-barq), صاعقه (fa) (sâ'eqe), آذرخش (fa) (âzaraxš)
• Portuguese: raio (pt) m
• Romanian: fulger (ro) n
• Russian: удар молнии m (udár mólnii)
• Sanskrit: नरक (naraka), वज्र (vajra)
• Spanish: rayo (es) m
• Swedish: viggen (sv)
• Tajik: соиқа (soyiqa)
• Telugu: పిడుగు (te) (piḍugu)
• Venetian: sita f, saéta f

an event that is terrible, horrific or unexpected

• Greek: κεραυνός (el) m (keravnós)
• Korean: 벼락 (ko) (byeorak)

• Telugu: పిడుగుపాటు (piḍugupāṭu)