counterintelligence
UK[ˌkaʊntərɪnˈtelɪdʒəns]US[ˌkaʊntərɪnˈtelɪdʒəns]
n
Activities designed to prevent or thwart spying, sabotage, or other intelligence activities by an enemy or other foreign power.
Morpheme Breakdown
counter
intelligence
counter
against
intelligence
information gathering
Etymology
The word is a modern compound formed within English by combining the prefix 'counter-' with the noun 'intelligence'. The prefix 'counter-' originates from the Latin preposition contra, meaning "against," which entered English via Anglo-French. The noun 'intelligence' stems from the Latin intelligentia, derived from intelligere ("to understand, comprehend"), itself from inter- ("between") and legere ("to gather, choose, read"). Thus, the literal construction means "acting against intelligence-gathering." The term emerged in the 20th century, primarily in military and security contexts, to describe the defensive aspect of espionage—the systematic efforts to protect one's own secrets and neutralize the information-seeking operations of adversaries.
Analysis
Structure: counter (against) + intelligence (information gathering)
- counter: From Latin contra (against). A prefix indicating opposition or contrary action.
- intelligence: From Latin intelligentia (understanding, knowledge). A noun referring to the collection and analysis of information, especially of military or political value.
Examples
The agency's primary mission is counterintelligence, focusing on identifying and neutralizing foreign spies.
Effective counterintelligence measures prevented the leak of classified documents.
He was trained in both intelligence collection and counterintelligence techniques.