The loud, rumbling sound that follows a flash of lightning during a storm. As a verb, it can mean to make a loud, deep noise or to speak very loudly and angrily.
From Old English 'þunor' meaning 'thunder,' related to Old Norse 'þórr' (the god Thor) and German 'Donner.' These words go back to a Proto‑Germanic term connecting thunder with a sky god. The link between thunder and divine power is ancient.
Thunder is really the sound of air exploding outward when lightning superheats it in a split second. Because light travels faster than sound, you see lightning first and hear thunder later, like nature’s delayed sound effect. For centuries people heard gods in that rumble before they heard physics.
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