Definition of terror

The word "terror" originated from the Latin term "terrōris" meaning "frightener" or "intimidator." It was first used by the Roman politician and general, Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus, during the Punic Wars against Carthage in the 3rd century BCE. Fabius, known as the "Delayer," advised his troops to avoid direct confrontation with the enemy and instead, inflict terror on them by living in hiding and rising suddenly to strike. In the Middle Ages, "terror" referred to religious or supernatural fear as people associated natural disasters, diseases, and epidemics with divine punishment. Later, the term was used to describe the ruled's response to excessive government power or oppression, as in the case of Saint Thomas More's "Utopia," where he deployed it as a tool against the abuses of Renaissance monarchs. In the late 1700s through the French Revolution, the word transformed in meaning as the Reign of Terror began. It referred to the period between 1793 and 1794 when the newly formed revolutionary government resorted to widespread executions, repression, and violence to establish its radical ideology and consolidate power. The term "Reign of Terror" highlighted how both cruelty and instillation of fear became political weapons, and the state became the main agent of terror. In modern times, "terror" has come to connote organized violence against civilians by non-state actors, prompting state-level and international responses. Its meaning and significance continue to evolve as we confront new forms of terror today.