terroristic

terroristic

UK[ˌtɛrəˈrɪstɪk]US[ˌtɛrəˈrɪstɪk]
adj

relating to or involving acts of terrorism

adj

characteristic of terrorists or terrorism

Morpheme Breakdown

terror
ist
ic
terror

extreme fear

ist

person who practices

ic

adjective suffix

Etymology

the word 'terroristic' is built upon the latin noun 'terror', which itself originates from the verb 'terrere' meaning 'to frighten, to terrify'. the suffix '-ist', entering english via latin and greek, attaches to nouns to denote a person associated with a practice or ideology, here creating 'terrorist'—one who employs systematic violence and intimidation. finally, the adjectival suffix '-ic' is appended, a common formative in english borrowed from latin and ultimately greek, to create an adjective describing anything pertaining to or characteristic of terrorists and their methods. thus, the term's literal construction follows a clear path from the concept of extreme fear, to the agent who instills it, to the descriptive quality of that agent's actions.

Analysis

Structure: terror (extreme fear) + ist (person who practices) + ic (adjective suffix) terror: from latin 'terror' meaning 'great fear, dread, alarm'. functions as the core noun root. ist: from greek '-istes', via latin '-ista', a suffix denoting an agent or practitioner. functions as a noun-forming suffix. ic: from latin '-icus', via greek '-ikos', a suffix forming adjectives. functions as an adjective-forming suffix.

Examples

the government condemned the attack as a terroristic act designed to destabilize the region.

the group was accused of using terroristic tactics to coerce the population.

the new legislation aims to combat terroristic financing and propaganda.