deterrent

See also: déterrent

English

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin dēterrēns, dēterrentem.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /dɪˈtɛɹənt/, sometimes /dɪˈtɜɹənt/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /dɪˈtəɹənt/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Adjective

deterrent (comparative more deterrent, superlative most deterrent)

1. Serving to deter, preventing something from happening.

Derived terms

• deterrence
• deterrently
• nondeterrent
• overdeterrent
• phagodeterrent
• underdeterrent

 

Related terms

• deter

Translations

serving to deter

• Bulgarian: предпазен (bg) (predpazen)
• Chinese: 威慑的
• Dutch: afschrikkend (nl), ontradend (nl), afschrikwekkend (nl)
• Finnish: pidättelevä
• French: dissuasif (fr)
• Galician: disuasorio, disuasivo
• German: abschreckend (de)
• Greek: αποτρεπτικός (el) (apotreptikós)
• Italian: dissuasivo (it)
• Maori: whakakōroiroi
• Polish: odstraszający
• Portuguese: dissuasório (pt)
• Spanish: disuasivo (es), disuasorio (es), disuasor (es)

Noun

deterrent (plural deterrents)

1. Something that deters.
   • 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Krogan: Genophage Codex entry:

     The salarians believed the genophage would be used as a deterrent, a position the turians viewed as naive. Once the project was complete, the turians mass produced and deployed it. The krogan homeworld, their colonies, and all occupied worlds were infected.

   • 2014, Jimmy Carter, “Full Prisons and Legal Killing”, in A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power‎^[1], Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 38:

     One argument made by proponents of the death penalty is that it is a strong deterrent to murder and other violent crimes, but evidence shows just the opposite. Whereas the last execution in Canada took place in 1962, in 2011 there were 598 murders in Canada and 14,610 in the United States.

   • 2024 November 13, Paul Bigland, “Much to admire... but pockets of neglect”, in RAIL, number 1022, page 48:

     All is well until Treorchy, where the platform is swamped by teenagers who have been attending an event. Around four dozen unescorted 12 to 16 year-olds swarm aboard and begin to run riot through the train. Their behaviour is appalling and the presence of CCTV no deterrent.

Derived terms

• Eurodeterrent
• nuclear deterrent

Translations

something that deters

• Chinese: 威慑物, ^{(please verify)} 威慑因素
• Dutch: afschrikmiddel (nl) n
• Finnish: pelote (fi), pidäke (fi)
• French: moyen de dissuasion m
• German: Abschreckung (de) f
• Hungarian: elrettentő (hu)
• Japanese: 抑止力 (yokushiryoku)
• Maori: whakakōroiroi
• Polish: odstraszacz m
• Russian: сре́дство устраше́ния n (srédstvo ustrašénija)
• Scottish Gaelic: casg m
• Spanish: disuasivo (es) m, disuasor (es) m
• Swedish: avskräckningsmedel n, avskräckningsvapen n

Latin

Verb

dēterrent

1. third-person plural present active indicative of dēterreō