Where does “terrorize” come from?
Terrorize comes from English terror, derived from Latin terror (fear, dread), formed with the Latin suffix -or denoting a state or condition, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root ter- meaning to frighten or tremble.
terrorize (English): To fill with terror; to terrify; To coerce by...
Definitions
- To fill with terror; to terrify; To coerce by...
Ancestry of “terrorize”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Terror | The Reign of Terror during the French Revolution |
| 2 | Middle English | terrour | A terror; a fright |
| 3 | Middle French | terreur | terror |
| 4 | Old French | terreur | terror |
| 5 | Latin | terror | a dread, terror, great fear, alarm, panic; an... |
| 6 | Latin | faciō | to do |
| 7 | Latin | -torium | nominative neuter singular of -tōrius; accusative... |
| 8 | Latin | -tōrius | ory |
| 9 | Latin | -tor | -er |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | -tōr | Forms agent nouns to verb stems |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -tōr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | -tor-s | — |