Menacer

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. To express an intention to cause harm or danger to someone or something
2. To indicate or imply a possibility of injury or trouble towards a person or object
3. To pose a risk or show readiness to inflict damage or intimidation on another

Etymology: A menacer is simply one who menaces, formed by adding the agent suffix "-er" to "menace". The suffix itself has a long pedigree: it descends through Old French "-ier" from Latin "-arius", a common ending for people connected with a trade or role, and the same ending reached English by two routes, once through Old English "-ere" and once through Middle English "-er". The noun "menace" came into English from Old French "menace", which in turn came from Latin "minacia", meaning threats. Its ancestor "minari", to threaten, was the source of "menace" as a verb, so the agent form "menacer" is what you get when a person who threatens is named directly from the verb-derived noun.

Synonyms: threatener, intimidator, bully

Antonyms: protector, defender, savior