English
thunderstick
From thunder + stick.
Proto-Indo-European *(s)ten-
Proto-Germanic *þunraz
Proto-West Germanic *þunr
Old English þunor
Middle English thunder
English thunder
Proto-Indo-European *(s)teyg- ‘to be sharp’
…
Proto-Germanic *stikkô ‘pole’
Proto-West Germanic *stikkō ‘stick’
Old English sticca ‘stick’
Middle English sticke ‘branch’
English stick
The story
Originally used by or ascribed to members of non-European cultures or anthropomorphized animals describing firearms.
Today it means
noun A gun or cannon, especially a rifle, as seen from the imagined perspective of an uncivilized person or an animal.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “thunderstick”. 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 / thunderstick