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Added 9 October 2026

detonate

/ˈdɛtəneɪt/ verb

Latin root: dētonātus First recorded: 1729 Wiktionary

verb Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about detonate at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Cause to burst with a violent release of energy.
We exploded the nuclear bomb
Burst and release energy as through a violent chemical or physical reaction.
the bomb detonated at noon

Origin

First attested in 1729; either borrowed from French détoner or directly from Latin dētonātus, perfect passive participle of dētonō (“to thunder down (strongly); (figuratively, of a person) to thunder, speak threateningly, to rage; to stop thundering”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from dē- (“off, from”) + tonō (“to thunder”)). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tenh₂-. The current interlingual meaning seems to be a new formation in postclassical times (to thunder → make a large noise → explode), compare explode.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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