deterrent
/dɪˈtɜːɹənt/dih-TUR-ruhnt
UK form converted from the US by rule · unchecked/dɪˈtɝɹənt/dih-TUR-ruhnt
Meaningsomething that deters
Common meaning: a thing that discourages
Tap a word part to explore
- dedown, away, off; undoing
- terrto frightenLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 1860 · scan
- entadjective ending: being or doing
‘down, away, off’ + ‘to frighten’ → deterrent
Journey through time
- Latinterreō, -ēre‘to frighten’
- Englishdeter‘to discourage from acting’
- Englishformed in English from deterdeterrent‘a thing that discourages’ · today
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
- No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
- US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
- No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.
Origin: Formed in English from deter + -ent.
Dictionary: Skeat (1898), DETER, p.163 · scan
Roots
- terreō, -ēre Latin “to frighten”
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