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co·erce

(kō-ûrs)

tr.v. co·erced, co·erc·ing, co·erc·es

1. To pressure, intimidate, or force (someone) into doing something. See Synonyms at force.

2. To bring about or gain by pressure, threat, or force: coerced agreement among the parties; coerced a confession from the suspect.

[Latin coercēre, to control, restrain : co-, co- + arcēre, to enclose, confine.]

co·ercer n.

co·erci·ble adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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