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Added 9 October 2026

deter

/dɪˈtɜː/ verb

Latin root: dēterreō Wiktionary

verb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about deter at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

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.
To distract someone from something.

Origin

Borrowed from Latin dēterreō (“deter, discourage”), from de (“from”) + terreō (“to frighten”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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