Meanings
thunder beast1
plural thunder beasts
- A legendary creature associated with lightning and thunder, as well as the god Raijin, and depicted as various animals.
Synonyms: raiju
thunder beast2
plural thunder beasts
- A brontothere: any member of the family †Brontotheriidae of extinct odd-toed ungulates, some of which developed bony nose horns and superficially resemble rhinos.
1 more example
One day when Cook was talking with Red Cloud the subject of the thunder beasts came up. Cook was introduced to this mythology, and even shown a petrified jaw bone that was said to have come from the thunder beasts. Of course, this was a brontothere jaw. When Marsh appeared on the scene shortly thereafter he met Cook and learned of the petrified thunder beast's remains—exactly what he was after!
2000', Donald R. Prothero, Robert M. Schoch, Horns, Tusks, and Flippers: The Evolution of Hoofed Mammals, page 231
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA legendary creature associated with lightning and thunder, as well as the god Raijin, and depicted as various animals.
Origin
thunder beast · noun
- Lakotawakíŋyaŋ
- Ancient Greekβροντή“thunder”
- taxonomic nameBrontotheriidae
- Englishthunder beast
A calque of taxonomic name Brontotheriidae, which is derived from Ancient Greek βροντή (brontḗ, “thunder”) + θηρίον (thēríon, “beast”) + -idae, or else from its probable source, calque of Lakota wakíŋyaŋ, conventionally translated as "thunder beast" when referring to these creatures, though also translated as "thunderer" and literally "the flying one". ]
More words from taxonomic name, Ancient Greek, Lakota
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
thunder beast. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thunder%20beast
“thunder beast.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thunder%20beast. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “thunder beast,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thunder%20beast.
Source: thunder beast on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.