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terrorism

Etymology and origin of the English word terrorism

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1795
Borrowed from
French terrorisme
Ultimate origin
Latin (terreo)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈtɛɹəɹɪzəm/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French terrorisme, a coinage of the French Revolution,[2][3][4] from Latin terror (“great fear, dread”) (see terror) and -ism.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Government by intimidation, as practised by the party in power in France during the Reign of Terror (1793–94): 1795.[2][5][3]

Semantic evolution

Robespierre told the National Convention in 1794 that the basis of popular government in time of revolution is virtue and terror.[2] The general sense, the systematic use of terror as a policy, is in English by 1798, in reference to the Irish Rebellion of that year.[2][5] In the early 20th century it was used in newspaper reports of trade-union actions.[2] Dynamitism (1883) was a word for one kind of mass-destruction terrorism.[2] The modern sense, violence and intimidation against civilians for political ends, especially by non-state groups, is now the usual one.[6][7]

Timeline

  • 1795 – the French Reign of Terror.[2][5]
  • 1798 – a policy of terror generally.[2][5]
  • 1883 – dynamitism.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, to achieve political aims.
  2. Government by intimidation.

Word family

  • terrorist
  • terroristic
  • antiterrorism
  • ecoterrorism
  • narcoterrorism
  • terror
  • terrorize
  • counterterrorism

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  7. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Terrorism.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/terrorism. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·