This is another subject in the category of "I don't understand because English isn't my native language". And the thing I don't understand, is if a native English speaker hearing "lightning" will understand/can understand (based on context), "lightning bolt" too.
In English, lightning, lightning bolt, thunder, and thunderbolt
can all be used kinda-sorta interchangeably. We understand the
difference between thunder (the sound) and lightning (the visible
discharge), but people mix them up all the time. It's not unusual
for someone to see a flash in the sky and declare, "I saw
thunder," or to hear a rumble and say, "I hear lightning." They're
not technically correct to do so, but it's very common.
Someone being more careful would probably distinguish them like so:
Lightning: uncountable noun referring to atmospheric electrical discharge or sometimes just its visible component.
Lightning bolt: countable noun referring to a single electrical discharge.
Thunder: uncountable noun referring to the sound caused by atmospheric electrical discharge.
Thunderbolt: countable noun referring to the sound caused by a single electrical discharge.
These are also not necessarily exclusively correct.
I want to say "One of the attributes of Zeus is the lightning bolt"; i.e. "the thing which looks like an arrow/spear made of lightning" which is held by Zeus. (Picture: https://stock.adobe.com/gr_en/search/images?k=zeus+lightning+hand)
Is it enough to write:
pe'bIl 'oH wa' zeus DI'on''e'
one of the characteristics of zeus is the lightning
Or should I necessarily write:
pe'bIl tIH 'oH wa' zeus DI'on''e'
one of the characteristics of zeus is the lightning ray/beam
Lightning doesn't come in rays. Unless Okrand has said otherwise,
there is no such thing as a pe'bIl tIH outside of pulp
films and novels. I dunno, maybe the word tIH is more
flexible than that, but if it is, I'm not aware of any
confirmation of this. Maybe Klingons talk about pan
emit sparks. I dunno.
Since the English word lightning could refer to either
the general phenomenon or a singular bolt, I don't think you'll be
able to answer exactly what pe'bIl means. I'd just leave
it as pe'bIl 'oH wa' Zeus DI'on'e'.
-- SuStel http://trimboli.name