Fulminate
/ˈfʊl.mɪ.neɪt/noun
To explode violently or to express intense denunciation.
Did you know?The same Latin root behind fulminate also gave English fulmination, a word once used for thunderbolts, so the language of outrage was literally born from the sky's weapon.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bhel-
“to shine, flash, or burn”
Latin
Latin
fulmen
“lightning bolt, thunderbolt”
Late Latin
Latin
fulminare
“to strike with lightning; to thunder”
Old French
Old French
fulminer
“to thunder; to hurl forth with force”
Middle English
English
fulminen
“to thunder out; to denounce vehemently”
Modern English
English
fulminate
“to explode violently or to express strong, denunciatory criticism”