menace
UK[ˈmen.əs]US[ˈmen.əs]
n
something that is likely to cause harm or danger; a threat.
n
a person or thing that is annoying or causes trouble.
v
to threaten to cause harm or danger.
Etymology
the word 'menace' entered english in the 13th century from the old french 'menace', meaning a threat or a threatening action. the old french term derived from the vulgar latin 'minacia', which itself is a noun formed from the latin adjective 'minax' (genitive 'minacis'), meaning 'threatening'. this latin root 'minax' comes from the verb 'minari', 'to threaten, to project', which is also the source of 'minatory'. the core semantic thread from latin to modern english is the projection of a threat, evolving from a concrete act of intimidation to encompass both the source of a threat and the quality of being threatening.
Analysis
the word 'menace' is a simplex loanword from old french. it does not contain separable morphemes in modern english that are both direct substrings of the spelling and carry independent meaning.
Examples
the storm clouds were a dark menace on the horizon.
the aggressive dog was a menace to the neighborhood children.
the dictator continued to menace his neighbors with military exercises.