fulmination

American  

[fuhl-muh-ney-shuhn] / ˌfʌl məˈneɪ ʃən /

noun

1. a violent denunciation or censure.

   a sermon that was one long fulmination.

2. violent explosion.

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Etymology

Origin of fulmination

1495–1505; < Latin fulminātiōn- (stem of fulminātiō ) a thundering, fuming. See fulminate, -ion

Explanation

A fulmination is some kind of explosion — either an actual explosion, like a firework, or an explosive expression of anger, like your angry fulminations in reaction to your brother spilling chocolate milk all over your science project. The fulminations of an angry mob rushing the gates of the castle don't sound quite the same as the fulminations of an academic disagreement in a political science class, but they both express dissatisfaction, disagreement, or anger. The word fulmination, which usually appears in its plural form, comes from the Latin fulminare "to hurl lightning," and its Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to shine, flash, or burn."