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Thunderbolt vs Lightening - What's the difference?

thunderbolt | lightening |

As nouns the difference between thunderbolt and lightening

is that thunderbolt is a flash of lightning accompanied by a crash of thunder while lightening is (medicine) the sensation caused by the descent of the uterus into the pelvic cavity before the onset of labour.

As a verb lightening is

.

thunderbolt

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • A flash of lightning accompanied by a crash of thunder.
  • (figuratively) An event that is terrible, horrific or unexpected.
  • * Dryden
    • the Scipios' worth, those thunderbolts of war
  • Vehement threatening or censure; especially, ecclesiastical denunciation; fulmination.
  • * Hakewill
    • He severely threatens such with the thunderbolt of excommunication.
  • (soccer) A very powerful shot.
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2011 , date=February 5 , author=Michael Kevin Darling , title=Tottenham 2 - 1 Bolton , work=BBC citation , page= , passage=Substitute Niko Kranjcar's injury-time thunderbolt gave Tottenham a dramatic win over Bolton.}}
  • (paleontology) A belemnite, or thunderstone.
  • (heraldiccharge) 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

    lightening

    English

    Verb

    (head)

    • Noun

    (en noun)
  • (medicine) The sensation caused by the descent of the uterus into the pelvic cavity before the onset of labour
  • (nautical) The removal of cargo (especially crude oil) from a vessel in order to reduce its draft