'detonator' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'detonare,' where 'de-' meant 'off' and 'tonare' meant 'to thunder.'

'detonator' changed from the French word 'détonateur' and eventually became the modern English word 'detonator.'

Initially, it meant 'one who thunders down or causes to explode,' but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'a device that triggers an explosion.'