threat

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A statement that you will hurt or punish someone, especially if they do not do what you want.

   He made a threat to call the police if they didn't leave.

2. 2
   noun

   Something or someone that could cause harm or danger.

   Pollution is a serious threat to the environment.

3. 3
   noun

   A sign that something bad is likely to happen.

   They were forced to leave under threat of arrest.

From Middle English threten, from Old English þrēatian (“to press, oppress, repress, correct, threaten”), derived from Proto-Indo-European *trewd- (“to squeeze, push, press”). Cognate with Scots threit (“to threaten”), Dutch verdrieten (“to sadden, displease”), Middle Low German drēten (“to threaten”), German verdrießen (“to bother, vex”), Faroese tróta (“to run out”), Icelandic þrjóta (“to run out, end”), Norwegian tryte (“to run out, end”), Swedish tryda (“to run out”), Gothic 𐌿𐍃𐌸𐍂𐌹𐌿𐍄𐌰𐌽 (usþriutan, “to harass, torment”), Latin trūdō (“to push”), Albanian ndrydh (“to sprain, supress, withdraw…

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