From Latin 'detonare' (to thunder down) — originally the crash of thunder, repurposed for explosive force in the 1700s.
To explode or cause to explode with sudden violence; to set off a bomb, mine, or other explosive device.
From Latin 'dētonāre' (to thunder down, to thunder forth), a compound of 'dē-' (down, away from) + 'tonāre' (to thunder). The word was originally purely meteorological — it described the crashing of thunder. The explosive meaning developed in the eighteenth century when chemists needed a word for the sudden, violent release of
Detonate literally means 'to thunder down.' It shares its root with 'astonish' (from Old French 'estoner,' to stun like thunder), 'stun' (shortened from the same), and 'tornado' (altered from Spanish 'tronada,' a thunderstorm). Explosions, surprises, and storms are all etymologically thunderclaps.