LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
verbfirst conjugation, no passive

tonō

tonō (present infinitive tonāre, perfect active tonuī, supine tonitum)
Classical[ˈtɔ.noː]Ecclesiastical[ˈtɔː.no]

Meaning

  1. to thunder
  2. to speak thunderously, make a loud, thundering noise
  3. to resound like thunder

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Conjugation conjugation 1

active indicative
formpresentimperfectfutureperfectpluperfectfut. perfect
1st sg.tonōtonābamtonābōtonuītonueramtonuerō
2nd sg.tonāstonābāstonābistonuistītonuerāstonueris
3rd sg.tonattonābattonābittonuittonuerattonuerit
1st pl.tonāmustonābāmustonābimustonuimustonuerāmustonuerimus
2nd pl.tonātistonābātistonābitistonuististonuerātistonueritis
3rd pl.tonanttonābanttonābunttonuērunt
tonuēre		tonueranttonuerint
active subjunctive
active subjunctive
formpresentimperfectperfectpluperfect
1st sg.tonemtonāremtonuerimtonuissem
2nd sg.tonēstonārēstonuerīstonuissēs
3rd sg.tonettonārettonuerittonuisset
1st pl.tonēmustonārēmustonuerīmustonuissēmus
2nd pl.tonētistonārētistonuerītistonuissētis
3rd pl.tonenttonārenttonuerinttonuissent
passive indicative
passive indicative
formpresentimperfectfuture
1st sg.tonor——
2nd sg.———
3rd sg.———
1st pl.———
2nd pl.———
3rd pl.———
imperative
imperative
formactivepassive
pres. 2nd sg.tonā—
pres. 2nd pl.tonāte—
fut. 2nd sg.tonātō—
fut. 3rd sg.tonātō—
fut. 2nd pl.tonātōte—
fut. 3rd pl.tonantō—
infinitives & participles
infinitives & participles
formactivepassive
present infinitivetonāre—
perfect infinitivetonuisse—
future infinitivetonitūrum esse—
present participletonāns—
future participletonitūrus—
gerundtonandī, tonandō, tonandumsupinetonitum, tonitū

tŏno, ŭi, 1 (collat. form of third conj.: tonimus, Varr. ap. Non. 49, 21), v. n. and a.
I. [root in Sanscr. tan-, to stretch, extend; Gr. τείνω; whence teneo, tendo, tenus; cf. O. H. Germ. donar; Engl. thunder], to thunder.
I. Lit.: ingens Porta tonat caeli, Enn. ap. Vet. Gram. ap. Col. (Ann. v. 597 Vahl.); imitated by Verg. G. 3, 261: cum tonuit laevum bene tempestate serenā, Enn. ap. Cic. Div. 2, 39, 82 (Ann. v. 517 Vahl.): ut valide tonuit! Plaut. Am. 5, 1, 10; so id. ib. 5, 1, 78: si fulserit, si tonuerit, Cic. Div. 2, 72, 149: Jove tonante, id. ib. 2, 18, 43; id. Phil. 5, 3, 7: tonans Juppiter, Hor. C. 3, 5, 1; id. Epod. 2, 29; Inscr. Orell. 2, p. 23: sub axe tonanti Sternitur aequor, Verg. A. 5, 820: pater nudā de rupe tonabat, Prop. 4 (5), 1, 7. nec si consulto fulmina missa tonent, id. 2, 34 (3, 32), 54: Diespiter per purum tonantes Egit equos, Hor. C. 1, 34, 7: Juppiter, tona, Sen. Med. 5, 31.—
II. Transf., in gen.
A. Neutr., to make a loud, thundering noise, to roar, rattle, crash, etc. (cf.: crepo, strepo): tympana tenta tonant, Lucr. 2, 618: Aetna horrificis ruinis, Verg. A. 3, 571: caelum omne fragore, id. ib. 9, 541; cf. id. ib. 12, 757: domus afflicta massa, Val. Fl. 4, 612: nemus fragore vasto, Sen. Troad. 173; Mart. 9, 69, 4.—Of loud, thundering speech: Pericles fulgere, tonare, dictus est, Cic. Or. 9, 29; Plin. Ep. 1, 20, 19; Col. praef. § 30: qualis Pindarico spiritus ore tonat, Prop. 3, 17 (4, 16), 40; Verg. A. 11, 383.—
B. Act., to thunder forth, to say or name with a thundering voice: tercentum tonat ore deos, invokes with thundering voice, Verg. A. 4, 510: verba foro, Prop. 4 (5), 1, 134. aspera bella, Mart. 8, 3, 14: talia celso ore, Claud. Rapt. Pros. 1, 83: Cicerona, id. Ep. 3, 4.—Hence, P. a., as epithet of Jupiter: Tŏnans, antis, m., the thunderer, god of thunder, Ov. M. 1, 170; 2, 466; 11, 198; id. H. 9, 7; id. F. 6, 33; cf.: Capitolinus Tonans, id. ib. 2, 69: sceptriferi Tonantes, Jupiter and Juno, Sen. Med. 59.—Also of Saturn: falcifer Tonans, Mart. 5, 16, 5.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*sten-?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*(s)tenh₂-
  3. Proto-Indo-European*(s)tonh₂éyeti
  4. Proto-Italic*tonaō
  5. Latintonō

From Proto-Italic *tonaō, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tenh₂- (“to thunder”), replacing the likely earlier form tonere (“thunder”); one of few Latin verbs (as domō) only classed in the first conjugation by the action of sound laws. Cognate with Old Norse Þórr (“Thor”), English thunder. Proto-Indo-European root likely related to Proto-Indo-European *(s)ten- (“to sigh; to groan”), Ancient Greek στένω (sténō, “to moan; to sigh; to groan”), German stöhnen (“to groan; to moan”), Russian стена́ть (stenátʹ, “to moan, groan”). Not cognate with tonus (“stretching; tone”), from Ancient Greek τόνος (tónos), which traces back to Proto-Indo-European *ten- (“to stretch”).

Elsewhere
  • Sardiniantronaifrom Vulgar Latin *tronō
  • Sardiniantronarefrom Vulgar Latin *tronō
  • Italiantronarefrom Vulgar Latin *tronō
  • Italianintronarefrom Vulgar Latin *tronō
  • Catalantronarfrom Vulgar Latin *tronō
  • Occitantronarfrom Vulgar Latin *tronō
  • Portuguesetroarfrom Vulgar Latin *tronō
  • Spanishtronarfrom Vulgar Latin *tronō
  • Portuguesetronarfrom Vulgar Latin *tronō
  • Englishtornadofrom Vulgar Latin *tronō
Gallo-Romance
  • Frenchtonner
  • Frenchétonner
  • Occitantonar
  • Franco-Provençaltonar
Borrowings
  • Englishtune
  • Portuguesetoar
  • Portuguesetonar
  • Galiciantoar
Italo-Dalmatian
  • Italiantonare
  • Italiantuonare
  • Corsicantonà
  • Corsicantunà
  • Dalmatiantonur
  • Istriottonar
  • Siciliantunari
Balkano-Romance
  • Romaniantuna, tunare
  • Aromaniantun, tunari
  • Megleno-Romaniantun, tunari
Rhaeto-Romance
  • Friuliantonâ
  • Ladintonà
  • Ladintoné
  • Ladintonèr
  • Romanshtunar
  • Romanshtuner

Quick answers

What does tonō mean in Latin?
tonō, a verb, means “to thunder; to speak thunderously, make a loud, thundering noise; to resound like thunder”.
What are the principal parts of tonō?
tonō, tonāre, tonuī, tonitum (first conjugation, no passive).
How do you pronounce tonō?
In classical Latin, [ˈtɔ.noː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈtɔː.no].
Where does tonō come from?
Proto-Indo-European *sten-? → Proto-Indo-European *(s)tenh₂- → Proto-Indo-European *(s)tonh₂éyeti → Proto-Italic *tonaō → Latin tonō.