- A discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder.
- A flash of lightning conceived as a bolt or dart hurled from the heavens.
- One that acts with sudden and destructive fury.
- A startling, forceful action: "Every political campaign manager saves a thunderbolt for the last week before Election Day" (Art Buchwald).
thunderbolt
Dictionary:
thun·der·bolt (thŭn'dər-bōlt')  |
n.
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| Architecture and Landscaping: thunderbolt |
Classical ornament, an attribute of Jupiter, in the form of a spiral roll, pointed at both ends, often held in the talons of an eagle, or shown winged, with arrow-headed, forked, or zig-zag lightning-flashes. It occurs on the
| WordNet: thunderbolt |
Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.
The noun has 2 meanings:
Meaning #1:
a discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder
Synonyms: bolt, bolt of lightning
Meaning #2:
a shocking surprise
Synonyms: bombshell, thunderclap
| Wikipedia: Thunderbolt |
For other uses, see Thunderbolt (disambiguation).
A thunderbolt is a traditional expression for a discharge of lightning or a symbolic representation thereof. In its original usage the word may also have been a description of meteors[1], although this is not currently the case. As a divine manifestation it has been a powerful symbol throughout history, and has appeared in many mythologies. Drawing from this powerful association, the thunderbolt is often found in military symbolism and semiotic representations of electricity.
Lightning plays a role in many mythologies, often as the weapon of a sky and storm god. As such, it is an unsurpassed method of dramatic instantaneous retributive destruction: thunderbolts as divine weapons can be found in many mythologies.
- In Hindu mythology, the god Indra is known as the god of lightning. His main weapon is the thunderbolt (Vajra).
- In Hittite and Hurrian mythology, a triple thunderbolt was one symbol of Teshub.
- In Greek mythology, the thunderbolt is a weapon given to Zeus by the Cyclops.
- In Roman mythology, the thunderbolt is a weapon given to Jupiter by the Cyclops.
- In Germanic mythology, Thor is specifically the god of thunder and lightning, wielding Mjolnir.
- In Maya mythology, Huracan is sometimes represented as three lightning bolts.
- In Native American mythology, the Ani Hyuntikwalaski ("thunder beings") cause lightning fire in a hollow sycamore tree.
The thunderbolt continues into the modern world as a prominent symbol; it has entered modern heraldry and military iconography.
See also
- Thunderbolts (comics)
- Thunderbolt (Marvel Comics)
- Thunderbolt_(1995_film)
- Peter Cannon, Thunderbolt
- Thunder god
- Vajra
- Perkwunos
- Lightning
- Thunderbolt siren
- Thunderbolt (car)
References
- ^ Clube V. & Napier B. 1982, The Cosmic Serpent, pg.173ff,
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
| Translations: Thunderbolt |
Dansk (Danish)
n. - tordenkile
Nederlands (Dutch)
bliksem(straal), donderslag
Français (French)
n. - (Météo) foudre, (fig) coup de tonnerre
Deutsch (German)
n. - Blitzstrahl, Blitz, Donnerkeil
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - αστροπελέκι, κεραυνός
Italiano (Italian)
fulmine, tuono
Português (Portuguese)
n. - raio (m), meteorito (m), ameaça terrível (f)
Русский (Russian)
удар молнии, неожиданность: "как гром среди ясного неба"
Español (Spanish)
n. - rayo, piedra de rayo, bomba
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - åskvigg, blixt, åskslag
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
霹雳, 意外的灾难, 雷电
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 霹靂, 意外的災難, 雷電
한국어 (Korean)
n. - 번개, 벼락, 격렬한 위협
日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 雷電, 落雷, 思いがけないこと, 青天のへきれき, 青天の霹靂
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) صاعقه
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ברק, חזיז, רעם ביום בהיר, אסון פתע, מקרה מזעזע
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 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Architecture and Landscaping. A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. Copyright © 1999, 2006 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. Read more |
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