afschrikt

Afschrikken is a Dutch verb meaning to deter or to frighten away, typically by the threat or the anticipation of negative consequences. It is used to describe the act of reducing the likelihood that someone will act in a certain way, by making the costs or risks of that action appear too high. The base verb is afschrikken, formed from the prefix af- (away, off) and schrikken (to scare).

Etymology and nuance: The word combines the idea of moving fear away or away from a target by imposing deterrence. It is closely related to notions of security, policy, and behavioral influence. In Dutch, deterrence can be described with both verb forms and noun forms, such as afschrikking (deterrence) and afschrikmiddel (deterrent).

Usage: Afschrikken is commonly used in contexts of crime prevention, law enforcement, border control, and military or political strategy, as well as in everyday situations where one tries to discourage unwanted behavior. It is a transitive verb and typically takes a direct object referring to the person or act being deterred, for example: "Het beleid schrikt criminelen af" (The policy deters criminals). In compound or perfect tenses, you may encounter the past participle afgeschrikt, as in "De maatregelen hebben de criminaliteit afgeschrikt" or "De criminelen zijn afgeschrikt."

Variants and related terms: afschrikkend (deterring, deterrent), afgeschrikt (past participle or adjective meaning deterred), afschrikking (deterrence). Afschrikmiddel refers to a deterrent device or measure.

See also: deterrence, security policy, crime prevention, aggression containment.

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