Menace

How to spell menace

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce menace

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does menace mean?

1. nounA person or thing that is likely to cause harm; a threat or danger.
2. verbTo threaten with harm or to be a danger to someone or something.

Menace in a sentence

• noun

  The broken railing was a real menace to anyone using the stairs.

• verb

  Rising floodwaters began to menace the riverside homes.

• noun

  Speeding drivers are a constant menace on this quiet road.

• verb

  Poachers continue to menace the few remaining tigers in the reserve.

Where does menace come from?

Language of origin: French

Menace travels into English from Latin by way of Old French. The ultimate source is the Latin verb minari, meaning 'to threaten', which itself grew from minae, a plural noun for 'threats'. Curiously, that noun was connected to the idea of things that jut out or overhang, such as the projecting stones of a wall that look as though they might topple onto a passer-by, so the literal image behind a threat was something looming dangerously above you. Old French reshaped the Latin noun into menace, and English borrowed it in the 1300s with the meaning 'a threatening statement or danger'. The verb sense, 'to threaten or endanger', followed soon after. The single -n- and the soft -ce ending (rather than -ss) are the spots writers should watch, since the word sounds as though it could end in a doubled letter but does not.

How the word is built

• menac- (from Latin minari: to threaten)
• -e