Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “deter” come from?

Deter comes from Latin deterreo, formed from the prefix de- and the root ter-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ter- meaning to frighten or cross over.

deter (English): To prevent something from happening; To persuade...

Definitions

  1. To prevent something from happening; To persuade...

Ancestry of “deter”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latindēterreō—
2Latinterreō—
3Proto-Indo-Europeantres-to tremble
4Proto-Indo-Europeanter-tender, weak; young creature
5Italiantermineend, close; limit, term, date, time; term, word
6Latinterminusa boundary, limit, end
7Proto-Italictermenos—
8Proto-Indo-Europeantérmn̥boundary, end

Words derived from “deter”

  • deterrable
  • deterrer
  • undeterrable
  • determent
  • deterrability
  • deterreth
  • undeterrably
Every word from Proto-Indo-European térmn̥ →