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Detente

3 stages from French to English.

Today it means the easing of hostility between countries

Where does the word "detente" come from? It comes from French détendre, passing through French before entering English (1900s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
détendre
French · medieval
"to relax, slacken"
to slacken, from Latin 'dētendere', to loosen
2
Stage 2 of 3
détente
French · 1600s
"release; relaxation"
the trigger of a crossbow or gun, which releases the tension; later a relaxing of tension between states
3
Stage 3 of 3
détente
English · 1900s
"easing of tensions"
became a key word of the Cold War in the 1970s, when the US and the Soviet Union sought to ease tensions
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Read the full story

Detente’s story begins in French: détendre meant “to relax, slacken.” To slacken, from Latin 'dētendere', to loosen. Within French, it grew into détente by 1600s. The trigger of a crossbow or gun, which releases the tension; later a relaxing of tension between states. It reached English by 1900s as détente. Became a key word of the Cold War in the 1970s, when the US and the Soviet Union sought to ease tensions. Today, detente means the easing of hostility between countries.