/ θʌd; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
a sound like the one which is made when a heavy object hits sth else :
His head hit the floor with a dull thud.
■ verb ( -dd- )
1.
to fall or hit sth with a low dull sound :
[ v + adv. / prep. ]
His arrow thudded into the target.
[also vn ]
2.
[ v ] ( literary ) ( especially of the heart ) to beat strongly
••
WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English (originally Scots ): probably from Old English thyddan to thrust, push ; related to thoden violent wind . The noun is recorded first denoting a sudden blast or gust of wind, later the sound of a thunderclap, which led to the sense a dull, heavy sound . The verb dates from the early 16th cent.