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Glite Dictionary
thunderbird

thunderbird

1 9.9
A large powerful bird in Native American stories that makes thunder and lightning
  • noun
  • /ˈθʌndərˌbɜrd/
  • Literature
: pájaro del trueno
  • Anishnaabe consultants, without exception, assert that the Thunderbird and Holy Spirit are distinct entities.

So as a Thunderbird is a giant eagle, right?

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Examples

  • "You would humble yourself before Thunderbird, be true to your Song?" Hot Fat asked.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • During that one time of year, Thunderbird watched over the people.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • "The big thing," she said, "is Chief Thunderbird has decided he's the captain."

    Fiction book (1991)

  • Sage Ghost's face lit with happiness as he told the story of Bear and Thunderbird.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • The Apaches say, "Where there is lightning with no thunder..." "there is bad medicine, because lightning is of the past," "that the thunderbird has already flown away."

    Swelter (2014)

  • In many Native American cultures, the thunderbird is believed to control the weather and bring storms.

  • Legends describe the thunderbird as a powerful spirit that can create thunder by flapping its wings.

  • Stories of the thunderbird often portray it as a guardian that protects the people from harm during storms.

Surface Forms

thunderbird singular
thunderbirds plural

Morphology

thunderbird = thunder + bird (transparent) = thunder + bird

The compound is a direct combination of 'thunder' and 'bird', so learners who know the components can infer a bird associated with thunder.

Etymology

Thunderbird combines thunder and bird and comes from North American Indigenous stories about a giant spirit bird that brings storms by flapping its wings. So, the word means a powerful, mythical bird connected to thunder and lightning.