Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “countermeasure” come from?

Countermeasure comes from Middle English counter- combined with Old French mesure, from Latin mensura meaning "a measuring" and Latin contra meaning "against."

countermeasure (English): Any action taken to counteract or correct...

Definitions

  1. Any action taken to counteract or correct...

Ancestry of “countermeasure”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishcounter-in opposition to
2Middle Englishcounter-—
3Old Frenchcountre-Alternative form of contre-
4Old Frenchcontreagainst
5Latincontrā—
6Latinubī—
7Latincubī—
8Proto-Italic*kʷuðei—

Words derived from “countermeasure”

  • anticountermeasure
Every word from Proto-Italic *kʷuðei →