Meaning

noun a heavy dull sound (as made by impact of heavy objects)

verb make a dull sound

verb strike with a dull sound

originFrom Middle English thudden (“to strike with a weapon”), from Old English þyddan (“to strike, press, thrust”), from Proto-Germanic *þuddijaną, *þiudijaną (“to strike, thrust”), from Proto-Germanic *þūhaną, *þeuhaną (“to press”), from Proto-Indo-European *tūk- (“to beat”). Cognate with Old English þoddettan (“to strike, push, batter”), Old English þȳdan (“to strike, stab, thrust, press”), Old…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0