Menace

Menace

Noun / Verb · /ˈmɛn.ɪs/

Definition

(Noun) a person or thing that is likely to cause harm; a threat; a source of danger; an annoying or troublesome person; (Verb) to threaten; to present a danger or threat to.

Origin

From Old French menace (threat), from Latin minacia (threats, threatening words), from minax (threatening, projecting), from minae (threats, projecting points), from minari (to threaten, to jut out). The Latin root connects the idea of threatening with the image of something jutting or projecting forward aggressively — like a projecting crag or a raised fist. The word entered English in the 14th century.