Etymology

reign of terror

Today it means: A brutal period of political violence and intimidation in the wake of a popular revolution. Full definition →

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reign of terror · noun1

From the Reign of Terror that took place during the French Revolution.

Reign of Terror · proper noun2

Named for the violence of the period, when thousands or people were massacred or executed through the guillotine by the Committee of Public Safety under Maximilien Robespierre.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.