repercussion
/ˌɹiː.pəˈkʌʃ.ən/
repercussion means A consequence or ensuing result of some action. It carries an Arena rating of 1670, earned across 7 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, repercussion ranks #332 of 17,135 for Most Malleable Words, #940 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #1,307 of 17,143 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #1,460 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words.
repercussion is pronounced /ˌɹiː.pəˈkʌʃ.ən/.
Why “repercussion” is a great word
An unintended consequence, especially an unwelcome one, that follows an event or action. From the Middle French répercussion, from Latin repercussio (“a rebounding”), from repercutere (“to cause to rebound, reflect”), from re- (“back”) + percutere (“to strike, beat”), from per- (“thoroughly”) + quatere (“to shake”). Unlike “ramification,” which suggests a neutral, branching complexity, or “reverberation,” which implies a mere echo, a repercussion is the strike that comes back. It is the fiscal tremor that follows a political decree, the shattered trust after a careless word, the silent chill in a room long after the argument has ended—the inescapable physics of cause and effect, returning always with a slight, punishing twist.
Etymology
From Middle French répercussion, from Latin repercussio (“rebounding; repercussion”), from repercutio (“cause to rebound, reflect, strike against”), from re- + percutio (“beat, strike”), from per- (“thoroughly”) + quatio (“shake”).
noun
- A consequence or ensuing result of some action.e.g.“You realize this little stunt of yours is going to have some pretty serious repercussions.”
- The act of driving back, or the state of being driven back; reflection; reverberation.e.g.“the repercussion of sound”
- Rapid reiteration of the same sound.
- The subsidence of a tumour or eruption by the action of a repellent.
- In a vaginal examination, the act of imparting through the uterine wall with the finger a shock to the foetus, so that it bounds upward, and falls back again against the examining finger.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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