late 13c., "attempt to influence by menacing," from Old English þreatnian "to threaten" (see threat). Related: Threatened. Threatening in the sense of "portending no good" is recorded from 1520s.
c. 1300, manacen, "to threaten, express a hostile intention toward," from Old French menacier "to threaten; urge" (11c.), Anglo-French manasser, from Vulgar Latin *minaciare "to threaten," from minacia "menace, threat" (see menace (n.)). Intransitive sense of "to be threatening, pose a threat of danger or harm" (of abstractions or objects) is from mid-14c. Related: Menaced; menacing.
Threaten is of very general application, in both great and little things: as, to be threatened with a cold; a threatening cloud; to threaten an attack along the whole line. Threaten is used with infinitives, especially of action, but menace is not; as, to threaten to come, to punish. Menace belongs to dignified style and matters of moment. [Century Dictionary]
"expressing a threat," 1530s, from French minatoire, from Late Latin minatorius "threatening," from minat-, stem of Latin minari "to threaten; jut, project," from minæ "threats; projecting points," from PIE root *men- (2) "to project." Related: Minatorially.
c. 1600, from Late Latin imminentia, from Latin imminentem (nominative imminens) "overhanging; impending," present participle of imminere "to overhang, lean towards," hence "be near to," also "threaten, menace, impend, be at hand, be about to happen," from assimilated form of in- "into, in, on, upon" (from PIE root *en "in") + -minere "jut out," which is related to mons "hill" (from PIE root *men- (2) "to project").
1520s, from French imminent (14c.) and directly from Latin imminentem (nominative imminens) "overhanging; impending," present participle of imminere "to overhang, lean towards," hence "be near to," also "threaten, menace, impend, be at hand, be about to happen," from assimilated form of in- "into, in, on, upon" (from PIE root *en "in") + -minere "jut out," which is related to mons "hill" (from PIE root *men- (2) "to project"). Related: Imminently.
1590s, "liable to make answer or defense, accountable," from Anglo-French amenable, from Old French amener "bring, take, conduct, lead" (to the law), from "to" (see ad-) + mener "to lead," from Latin minare "to drive (cattle) with shouts," variant of minari "to threaten," also "to jut, project" (from PIE root *men- (2) "to project"). The sense of "tractable" is from 1803, on the notion of "disposed to answer or submit to influence." Related: Amenably.
c. 1300, "declaration of hostile intent," also (early 14c.) "a threat or act of threatening," from Old French menace "menace, threat" (9c.), from Vulgar Latin minacia "threat, menace" (also source of Spanish amenaza, Italian minaccia), singular of Latin minaciæ "threatening things," from minax (genitive minacis) "threatening," from minari "threaten; jut, project," from minæ "threats; projecting points," from PIE root *men- (2) "to project." Applied to persons from 1936.
c. 1200, throwe "pain, pang of childbirth, agony of death," of uncertain origin, possibly from Old English þrawan "twist, turn, writhe" (see throw (v.)), or altered from Old English þrea (genitive þrawe) "affliction, pang, evil; threat, persecution" (related to þrowian "to suffer"), from Proto-Germanic *thrawo (source also of Middle High German dro "threat," German drohen "to threaten"). Modern spelling first recorded 1610s. Related: Throes.
