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deter

[dih-tur]
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verb (used with object), de·terred, de·ter·ring.
  1. to discourage or restrain from acting or proceeding: The large dog deterred trespassers.
  2. to prevent; check; arrest: timber treated with creosote to deter rot.
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Origin of deter

1570–80; < Latin dēterrēre to prevent, hinder, equivalent to dē- de- + terrēre to frighten
Related formsde·ter·ment, nounde·ter·ra·ble, adjectivede·ter·ra·bil·i·ty, nounde·ter·rer, nounun·de·ter·ra·bil·i·ty, nounun·de·ter·ra·ble, adjectiveun·de·ter·ra·bly, adverbun·de·terred, adjectiveun·de·ter·ring, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for deters

Historical Examples

  • Nor does he distinguish between the suffering which improves and the suffering which only punishes and deters.

    Gorgias

    Plato

  • The knowledge that virtue is its own reward is what deters many from well doing.

    Crankisms

    Lisle de Vaux Matthewman

  • Nothing so deters us from wanting to worship as the notion that worship is unliving.

  • Be vague, colourless, and languid, this deters readers from approaching the book.

  • A hand laid upon her shoulder startles and deters her from her purpose.

British Dictionary definitions for deters

deter

verb -ters, -terring or -terred
  1. (tr) to discourage (from acting) or prevent (from occurring), usually by instilling fear, doubt, or anxiety
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Derived Formsdeterment, noun

Word Origin

C16: from Latin dēterrēre, from de- + terrēre to frighten
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for deters

deter

v.

1570s, from Latin deterrere "to frighten from, discourage from," from de- "away" (see de-) + terrere "frighten" (see terrible). Deterrent is from 1829.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper