What Is Terrorism?

1 CHAPTER 1 What Is Terrorism? TERRORISM: ORIGIN OF THE WORDTo begin, it seems appropriate to define the term terrorism. Within terrorism lies the word terror. Terror comes from the Latin terrere, which means frighten or tremble. When coupled with the French suffix isme (referencing to practice ), it becomes akin to practic-ing the trembling or causing the frightening. Trembling and frightening here are syn-onyms for fear, panic, and anxiety what we would naturally call terror. The word terror is over 2,100 years old. In ancient Rome, the terror cimbricus was a state of panic and emer-gency in response to the coming of the Cimbri tribe killers in 105 BCE. This description of terrorism as being rooted in terror is an example of etymology. Etymology is the study of the origin and evolution of words. From this standpoint, language is organic, changeable, fluctuating, depending on the needs of thinkers and speakers over time and word terrorism, in and of itself, was coined during the French Revolution s Reign of Terror (1793 1794).

lated use of unlawful violence or threat of unlawful violence to inculcate fear; intended to coerce or to intimidate governments or societies in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, religious, or ideological.” 17 •• U.S. Department of State: terrorism is “premeditated, politically motivated violence

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