adj. 1. Dazzling or stunning in effect. 2. Medicine Occurring suddenly and severely. Used of a disease. [French, from present participle of foudroyer, to strike with lightning, from foudre, lightning, from Old French fouldre, from Latin fulgur, from fulgēre, to flash; see bhel-1 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.