Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “deterrence” come from?

deterrence (English) comes from English deterrent, from Latin deterrens, from Latin dēterreō, from Latin terreō, from Proto-Indo-European tres-, from Proto-Indo-European ter-, from Italian termine, from Latin terminus — boundary, end.

deterrence (English): The act of deterring, or the state of being...

Definitions

  1. The act of deterring, or the state of being...

Ancestry of “deterrence”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishdeterrentServing to deter, preventing something from...
2Latindeterrensdeterring, hindering; averting, repressing
3Latindēterreō—
4Latinterreō—
5Proto-Indo-Europeantres-to tremble
6Proto-Indo-Europeanter-tender, weak; young creature
7Italiantermineend, close; limit, term, date, time; term, word
8Latinterminusa boundary, limit, end
9Proto-Italictermenos—
10Proto-Indo-Europeantérmn̥boundary, end

Words derived from “deterrence”

  • overdeterrence
  • underdeterrence
Every word from Proto-Indo-European térmn̥ →