The term "lightning" emerged in late Old English as a variant of "lightening," which was derived from the verb "lighten". This verb itself came from the Old English words "lihtan" (Anglian) or "liehtan" (West Saxon), meaning "to make bright" or "to illuminate".

The Old English root "leht" (Anglian) or "leoht" (West Saxon) meant "light, daylight, spiritual illumination". This common Germanic root can be traced in cognates such as Old Saxon "liohtian," Old High German "liuhtan," and Gothic "liuhtjan," all meaning "to light".

Interestingly, before "lightning" became the standard term, several other words were used to describe this phenomenon: -"Ligetung" in Old English, from "liget" meaning "flash of lightning" -"Leven" in Middle English (mid-13th century), though its origin is uncertain -"Lait" and "laiting" in the 14th-15th centuries

The modern meaning of "lightning" as the sudden, bright light produced by an electrical discharge in the atmosphere has been in use since around 1300.