det·o·nate / ˈdetnˌāt/ • v. explode or cause to explode: [intr.] two other bombs failed to detonate | [tr.] a trigger that can detonate nuclear weapons. DERIVATIVES: det·o·na·tive / -ˌātiv/ adj.ORIGIN: early 18th cent.: from Latin detonat- ‘thundered down or forth,’ from the verb detonare, from de- ‘down’ + tonare ‘to thunder.’

Detonator ★★ Alistair MacLean's Death Train; Death Train 1993 (R)

A renegade Russian general has stolen a nuclear bomb and is transporting it from Germany to Iraq via a hijacked train commandeered by his hired band of mercenaries. Stewart is the U.N. troubleshooter delegated to stop the plot, aided by a commando team featuring Brosnan and Paul. Based on the novel “Death Train” by Alistair MacLean. 98m/C VHS, DVD . Pierce Brosnan, Patrick Stewart, Ted Levine, Alexandra Paul, Christopher Lee; D: David S. Jackson; W: David S. Jackson. CABLE

detonate XVIII. f. pp. stem of L. dētonāre, f. DE- 3 + tonāre THUNDER (see -ATE 3); partly back-formation from detonation (XVII) — F. détonation, f. détoner — L. dētonāre.
Hence detonator XIX.