fulmine

lightning

noun FOOL-mee-neh Less Common

Origin: from Latin 'fulmen'

Also means

thunderbolt

Usage Note

Fulmine is the bolt of lightning, while lampo is the flash and tuono the thunder. The vivid phrase un fulmine a ciel sereno means a 'bolt from the blue', a total surprise. The plural is fulmini.

Examples

"Un fulmine ha colpito l'albero."

Natural Translation

A bolt of lightning struck the tree.

Literal Translation

A lightning has struck the-tree.

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