Etymology

counteraction

C3O1U1N1T1E1R1A1C3T1I1O1N1

Today it means: An act of retaliation; a counterattack. Full definition →

English action ← Middle English accioun ← Old French aucion
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*ḱe?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*ḱóm
  3. Proto-Italic*kom
  4. Proto-Italic*kom-
  5. Proto-Italic*komteros
  6. Proto-Italic*komterād
  7. Latincontrā
  8. Old Frenchcontre-
  9. Anglo-Normancountre-
  10. Middle Englishcounter-
  11. Englishcounter-
  12. Old Frenchaucion
  13. Middle Englishaccioun
  14. Englishaction
  15. English todaycounteraction

From counter- + action.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.