a. rare–1. [ad. rare late L. tonitruāl-is (L. Appuleius), f. tonitru-s thunder.] Pertaining to, or loaded with, thunder. So Tonitruant a. and sb. less regularly tonitrant [ad. late L. tonitruānt-em, pres. pple. of tonitruāre to thunder [Vulg. Ps. lxxvi.)], thundering (fig.); Tonitruate v. (less regularly tonitrate) [late L. tonitruāre: see -ATE3], to thunder (intr. and trans.); Tonitruation, thundering (in quot. 1689, ? explosion, or ? = FULMINATION 3); Tonitruone, a device for imitating thunder (see quot.); Tonitruous a. (less regularly tonitrous), full of or characterized by thunder, loud noise, or violent utterance; thundery; thundering.
a. 1693. Urquhart’s Rabelais, III. li. They may … charging those *Tonitrual Guns afresh, turn the whole force of that Artillery against ourselves.
1861. M. Collins, in Temple Bar Mag., I. 576. Tonitrant writer in leading journal.
1864. Manchester Weekly Times & Exam., 30 Jan., 11/3. He was the true censor of the day, the ‘great thunderer,’ as powerful in his line as the unknown tonitruant who now growls from the recesses of Blackfriars.
1907. Times, 5 Sept., 8/1. Mr. Asche’s robust personality and tonitruant style.
1623. Cockeram, *Tonitrate, to thunder.
1630. Randolph, Shirley’s Gratef. Servant, Pref. Verses. I cannot fulminate nor tonitruate words To puzzle intellects.
1656. S. Holland, Zara (1719), 60. This potent … Incantation … was no sooner utter’d by the Inchantress, but it tonitruated horribly.
1666. G. Harvey, Morb. Angl., iv. 42. Winds and rumblings … whose tonitruating noise might have been heard at a great distance.
1658. Phillips, *Tonitruation (Lat.), a thundring.
1689. G. Harvey, Curing. Dis. by Expect., xvii. 132. Minerals are to be disrobed of their Venom … by Tonitruation, Sublimation [etc.].
1909. Times, 13 Feb., 8/1. The *‘tonitruone,’… a piece of iron fastened to a wooden frame and shaken by hand, produces a strange thunderous sound—and is of M. Paderewski’s own invention.
1606. Drumm. of Hawth., Answ. to Challenge, Wks. (1711), 233. Most *tonitruous, astonishing chevaliers, reknow ye, that we … do allow you this for answer.
1646. Sir T. Browne, Pseud. Ep., II. v. 88. This tonnitruous and fulminating report of gunnes.
a. 1704. T. Brown, Walk round Lond., Thames, Wks. 1709, III. III. 64. By, whom Billingsgate was much outdone in … tonitrous Verbosity, and malicious Scurrility.
1882. J. Nichol, Amer. Lit., ii. 51. Increase [Mather] had a tonitruous cogency in his perorations.
