Countered

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈkaʊntəd/

Definitions

1. To act in opposition to something that was done or said ; to place or position something directly opposite or facing another
2. To respond to an action or argument with a contrary action or statement ; to arrange objects or elements so they face or oppose each other
3. To react against a move or claim by offering resistance or a reply ; to situate one thing so it is opposite or counter to another

Etymology: The verb "counter" has two separate ancestors that happen to have merged in English. The sense of answering back or acting against something comes from Old French "contre" and Latin "contra," meaning "against" or "opposite," which is why "countered" carries the idea of pushing back. The sense of an accounting table or shop counter is a different word altogether, descended from Medieval Latin "computatorium," a place for reckoning, built on the verb "computare," to count. That second strand has a curious twist. The Old French "conteor" became "comptoir" in modern French, meaning a counting-house or bank branch, and English took the same root as "counter" for the surface where coins were tallied and goods sold. The shared origin of the shop counter and the bank counter is a reminder that buying and selling once revolved around literal arithmetic on a table.

Synonyms: responded, replied, retorted