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   ful·mi·nate

   /ˈfo͝olməˌnāt/

   verb

   • 1. express vehement protest: "he fulminated against the evils of his time" Similar protestrailragerantthunderstormdeclaiminveighspeak outmake/take a standdenouncedecrycondemncriticizecensuredisparageattackexecratearraigninformal:mouth off aboutkick up a fuss/stink aboutgo on aboutrare:animadvertexcoriatevociferate aboutvituperate
   • 2. explode violently or flash like lightning: literary "thunder fulminated around the house" Similar explodeflashcrackdetonateblow upgo offrumble

   noun

   • 1. a salt or ester of fulminic acid.

   Word Origin late Middle English: from Latin fulminat- ‘struck by lightning’, from fulmen, fulmin- ‘lightning’. The earliest sense (derived from medieval Latin fulminare) was ‘denounce formally’, later ‘issue formal censures’ (originally said of the Pope). A sense ‘emit thunder and lightning’, based on the original Latin meaning, arose in the early 17th century, and hence ‘explode violently’ (late 17th century).

   Scrabble Points: 14

   • F

     4

   • U

     1

   • L

     1

   • M

     3

   • I

     1

   • N

     1

   • A

     1

   • T

     1

   • E

     1

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