Threatened

Threatened
Threaten Threat"en, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Threatened}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Threatening}.] [OE. [thorn]retenen. See {Threat}, v. t.] 1. To utter threats against; to menace; to inspire with apprehension; to alarm, or attempt to alarm, as with the promise of something evil or disagreeable; to warn. [1913 Webster]

Let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name. --Acts iv. 17. [1913 Webster]

2. To exhibit the appearance of (something evil or unpleasant) as approaching; to indicate as impending; to announce the conditional infliction of; as, to threaten war; to threaten death. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

The skies look grimly And threaten present blusters. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

Syn: To menace.

Usage: {Threaten}, {Menace}. Threaten is Anglo-Saxon, and menace is Latin. As often happens, the former is the more familiar term; the latter is more employed in formal style. We are threatened with a drought; the country is menaced with war. [1913 Webster]

By turns put on the suppliant and the lord: Threatened this moment, and the next implored. --Prior. [1913 Webster]

Of the sharp ax Regardless, that o'er his devoted head Hangs menacing. --Somerville. [1913 Webster] [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • threatened — [[t]θre̱t(ə)nd[/t]] ADJ GRADED: v link ADJ, oft ADJ by n If you feel threatened, you feel as if someone is trying to harm you. → See also threaten Anger is the natural reaction we experience when we feel threatened or frustrated... The survey… …   English dictionary

  • threatened — adjective Date: 1960 having an uncertain chance of continued survival < a threatened species >; specifically likely to become an endangered species …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • threatened — adj. Threatened is used with these nouns: ↑closure, ↑habitat, ↑litigation, ↑miscarriage, ↑redundancy, ↑species …   Collocations dictionary

  • threatened — adjective (of flora or fauna) likely in the near future to become endangered (Freq. 1) the spotted owl is a threatened species, not yet an endangered one • Similar to: ↑vulnerable • Topics: ↑plant, ↑flora, ↑plant life …   Useful english dictionary

  • Threatened species — are any species (including animals, plants, fungi, etc.) which are vulnerable to extinction in the near future. World Conservation Union (IUCN) is the foremost authority on threatened species, and treats threatened species not as a single… …   Wikipedia

  • Threatened fauna of Australia — are those species and subspecies of birds, fish, frogs, insects, mammals, molluscs, crustaceans and reptiles to be found in Australia that are in danger of becoming extinct. This list is the list proclaimed under the Australian federal… …   Wikipedia

  • threatened species — A species that is likely to become an endangered species in the foreseeable future. The Endangered Species Act of 1973 defines this term for purposes of federal law. Category: Small Claims Court & Lawsuits Nolo’s Plain English Law Dictionary.… …   Law dictionary

  • threatened with a lawsuit — threatened that he would file a legal claim if his demands were not fulfilled …   English contemporary dictionary

  • threatened species — n. a species of animal or plant that is rare and may become an endangered species in the near future …   English World dictionary

  • threatened men live long — Cf. early 14th cent. Fr. le[s] menaciez encore vivent, threatened men live long. 1534 LADY E. WHEATHELL in M. St. C. Byrne Lisle Letters II. ii. Ther es a nolde sayeng thretend men lyue long. c 1555 in H. L. Collman Ballads of Elizabethan Period… …   Proverbs new dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”