counterthreat

C3O1U1N1T1E1R1T1H4R1E1A1T1

noun

A threat made in response to an earlier threat by another party

OriginEnglish threat ← Middle English counter- ← Anglo-Norman countre- →
Scrabble 18
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Meanings

nouncounterthreat (plural counterthreats)

plural counterthreats

  1. A threat made in response to an earlier threat by another party

    The agreement was reached after months of negotiations -- and a final week of threats and counterthreats.

    2007 January 1, Steven Lee Myers, “Russia-Belarus Gas Deal Averts Feared Disruptions in Europe”, in New York Times

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. Englishthreat
  13. Englishcounterthreat

From counter- + threat.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Danish modtrussel
  • modtrusselthreat made in response to an earlier threat
Cite this entry
APA

counterthreat. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/counterthreat

MLA

“counterthreat.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/counterthreat. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “counterthreat,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/counterthreat.

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