Menace

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle)
• HYPHEN: men=ace

CIDE DICTIONARY

Menace, n. [F., fr. L. minaciae threats, menaces, fr. minax, -acis, projecting, threatening, minae projecting points or pinnacles, threats. Cf. Amenable, Demean, Imminent, Minatory.].

 The show of an intention to inflict evil; a threat or threatening; indication of a probable evil or catastrophe to come.  [1913 Webster]
"His (the pope's) commands, his rebukes, his menaces."  [1913 Webster]
"The dark menace of the distant war."  [1913 Webster]

Menace, v. t. [OF. menacier, F. menacer. See Menace, n.].

•  To express or show an intention to inflict, or to hold out a prospect of inflicting, evil or injury upon; to threaten; -- usually followed by with before the harm threatened; as, to menace a country with war.  [1913 Webster]

  "My master . . . did menace me with death."  [1913 Webster]
•  To threaten, as an evil to be inflicted.  [1913 Webster]

  "By oath he menaced
  Revenge upon the cardinal."  [1913 Webster]

Menace, v. i. 

 To act in threatening manner; to wear a threatening aspect.  [1913 Webster]
"Who ever knew the heavens menace so?"  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Menace, n. & v.
--n.
1 a threat.
2 a dangerous or obnoxious thing or person.
3 joc. a pest, a nuisance.
--v.tr. & intr. threaten, esp. in a malignant or hostile manner.

Derivative

menacer n. menacingly adv.

Etymology

ME ult. f. L minax -acis threatening f. minari threaten

THESAURUS

Menace

abuse, afflict, aggrieve, alarm, apprehend, approach, await, be imminent, be in store, befoul, bewitch, blight, bludgeon, bode, breakers ahead, brew, bulldoze, bulldozing, bully, cardhouse, cause for alarm, come on, comminate, commination, compromise, condemn, confront, corrupt, cow, crisis, croak, crucify, curse, damage, danger, dangerous ground, daunt, defile, denounce, denunciation, deprave, despoil, destroy, disadvantage, disserve, distress, do a mischief, do evil, do ill, do wrong, do wrong by, doom, draw near, draw nigh, draw on, emergency, empty threat, endanger, endangerment, envenom, face, forebode, foreboding, forewarn, forthcome, frighten, gaping chasm, gather, gathering clouds, get into trouble, hang over, harass, harm, have a premonition, have a presentiment, hazard, hex, house of cards, hover, hurt, idle threat, imminence, impair, impend, imperil, imperilment, implied threat, infect, injure, intimidate, intimidation, jeopard, jeopardize, jeopardy, jinx, lie over, look black, look threatening, loom, lower, maltreat, mistreat, molest, near, outrage, overhang, pass, peril, persecute, pinch, play havoc with, play hob with, plight, poison, pollute, portend, preapprehend, predicament, prejudice, promise of harm, quicksand, risk, rocks ahead, savage, scare, scathe, storm clouds, strait, sword of Damocles, taint, terrify, terrorize, thin ice, threat, threaten, threateningness, threatfulness, torment, torture, utter threats against, violate, warn, warning, wound, wreak havoc on, wrong

ROGET THESAURUS

Menace

Warning

VB warn, caution, forewarn, prewarn, admonish, premonish, give notice, give warning, dehort, menace, put on one's guard, sound the alarm, croak, beware, ware, take warning, take heed at one's peril, keep watch and ward.

Threat

N threat, menace, defiance, abuse, minacity, intimidation, denunciation, fulmination, commination, gathering clouds, threatening, menacing, minatory, minacious, comminatory, abusive, in terrorem, ominous, defiant, under the ban, Int, vae victis!, at your peril!, do your worst!.

VB threat, threaten, menace, snarl, growl, gnarl, mutter, bark, bully, defy, intimidate, keep in terrorem, hold up in terrorem, hold out in terrorem, shake the fist at, double the fist at, clinch the fist at, thunder, talk big, fulminate, use big words, bluster, look daggers, stare daggers.