deter
verb
- deter, scare away
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /dɪˈtɜː/ / /dɪˈtɝ/ / /dɪˈtɛr/
name
Etymology: Borrowed from German Deter.
- A surname from German.
verb
Etymology: Etymology tree Latin dēterreōbor. English deter Borrowed from Latin dēterreō (“deter, discourage”), from de (“from”) + terreō (“to frighten”).
- To prevent something from happening.
- To persuade someone not to do something; to discourage.
“Their boss deterred them from both taking holidays at the same time, claiming he couldn't manage it all on his own.”
“Such a male-dominated environment is also likely to contribute to the lingering presence of an outdated belief that expressing feelings and demonstrating emotion is a sign of weakness, deterring some men from discussing their problems.”
- To distract someone from something.
“we have in following enquiry, attempted to throw some light upon subjects, from which uncertainty has hitherto deterred the wise”