counterterm

C3O1U1N1T1E1R1T1E1R1M3

noun

antithesis

OriginEnglish term ← Middle English terme ← Old French terme →
Scrabble 15
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nouncounterterm (plural counterterms)

plural counterterms

  1. antithesis
  2. antonym
  3. mathematicsA term added to an equation or formula that exactly cancels the contribution of another term which diverges.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
antonym

Origin

  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. Proto-Indo-European*terh₂-?
  13. Proto-Indo-European*ter-?
  14. Proto-Indo-European*térmn̥
  15. Proto-Italic*termn̥
  16. Proto-Italic*term(e)nos
  17. Latinterminus
  18. Old Frenchterme
  19. Middle Englishterme
  20. Englishterm
  21. Englishcounterterm

From counter- + term.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

counterterm. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/counterterm

MLA

“counterterm.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/counterterm. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “counterterm,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/counterterm.

Source: counterterm on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.