Repercussion

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌɹiː.pəˈkʌʃ.ən/

Definitions

1. A consequence or effect, especially one that is indirect or unintended, resulting from an action or event
2. A secondary outcome or impact that occurs as a result of a prior action or event, often unforeseen or not immediately apparent
3. An indirect consequence that emerges following an incident or decision, which can influence subsequent situations or behavior

Etymology: Originally, "repercussion" was a physical and sometimes medical idea: a striking back, a rebound. The Latin "repercutio" meant "cause to rebound" or "strike back against," built from "re-" (back, again) and "percutio," "beat" or "strike," which itself combined "per-" (thoroughly) with "quatio," "shake." So the word's core picture is of a blow that travels through something and comes back. The Latin noun "repercussio" passed into Middle French as "répercussion," and English took the word from there. In English it kept that sense of reflection and rebounding, as with sound echoing off a wall or light bouncing off a surface, before it came to describe consequences. A blow that rebounds on the one who struck it is a close match for an action whose effects return in unexpected ways, and that is how the figurative sense developed.

Synonyms: consequence, effect, result, impact, outcome