Etymograph

English

explosion

Explosion comes from Latin explōdo ‘to drive out by clapping’, from plaudō ‘to clap or strike’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂-u-d-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pleh₂-u-d-1reconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEplaudō2as plōdo‘to clap or strike’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEexplōdo2‘to drive out by clapping’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEexplōsiōnis2
  5. Frenchc. 1600–presentexplosion2
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1913explosion2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin plaudo
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English explosion
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1913, Mining and Engineering World: “A man was injured by an explosion caused by…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pleh₂-u-d-Wiktionary, Latin plaudoreconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEplaudōWiktionary, English explosionas plōdo‘to clap or strike’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEexplōdoWiktionary, English explosion‘to drive out by clapping’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEexplōsiōnisWiktionary, English explosion
  5. Frenchc. 1600–presentexplosionWiktionary, English explosion
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1913explosionWiktionary, English explosion. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1913, Mining and Engineering World: “A man was injured by an explosion caused by…”

The story

For more information see explode.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Latin plaudō ‘to clap or strike’

applause, 3 more

Today it means

noun A violent release of energy (sometimes mechanical, nuclear, or chemical); an act or instance of exploding.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “explosion”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin plaudo. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂-u-d- / explosion

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