Menace
/ˈmɛn.əs/noun
A person or thing that is likely to cause harm, or a threat.
Did you know?Menace comes through Old French from Latin *minaciae* (“threats”), from *minari* (“to threaten”), a verb also linked to the idea of driving animals by looming force, not magic.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*men-
“to project, threaten, or protrude”
Latin
Latin
minari
“to threaten, drive forward, or menace”
Latin
Latin
minaciae
“threats, menaces”
Old French
Old French
menace
“a threat”
Middle English
English
menace
“a threat, danger”
Modern English
English
menace
“a person or thing that is likely to cause harm”