Deter
/dɪˈtɜːr/noun
To discourage or prevent someone from doing something.
Did you know?“Deter” comes from Latin *dēterrēre*, literally “to frighten away,” from *dē-* (“away”) + *terrēre* (“to frighten”), the same fear-root behind *terrify*.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ters-
“to tremble, be frightened”
Latin
Latin
terrēre
“to frighten, scare”
Latin
Latin
dēterrēre
“to frighten away, discourage”
Middle French
Old French
deterer
“to discourage, dissuade”
Late 16th Century
English
deter
“to discourage or prevent by fear or doubt”
Modern English
English
deter
“to discourage or prevent someone from acting”