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détente

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: detente and detenté

English

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WOTD – 20 March 2026

Etymology

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Unadapted borrowing from French détente (“loosening, relaxing”),[1][2] from Latin *dētendita, a feminine singular participle of dētendō (“to relax”), from dē- (prefix meaning ‘from; of’) + tendō (“to stretch”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tend- (“to stretch”)).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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détente (countable and uncountable, plural détentes)

  1. (chiefly politics, uncountable) Relaxing of tension, especially between countries; (countable) an instance of this.
    Coordinate terms: containment, regime change, rollback
    • 1897 May 15, André Michel, “The Salons at Paris”, in The Athenæum: Journal of English and Foreign Literature, Science, the Fine Arts, Music and the Drama, number 3629, London: Printed by John Edward Francis, […]; published […], by John C. Francis, →OCLC, pages 656–657:
      They had a vague feeling that after the dislocations and the violence which the Impressionists inflicted on the picturesque, the eyes of their contemporaries necessarily needed a little rest. Instinct and reflection were no less ready to warn them that the last hours were at hand of one of those reactions, or, to speak more accurately, those détentes, which are so frequent in the history of art.
    • 1899, Julien de Narfon, “A Political Pope”, in G. A. Raper, transl., Pope Leo XIII: His Life and Work […], London: Chapman & Hall, →OCLC, page 185:
      Although the Pope [Leo XIII]'s decision was in favour of Spain, it brought about quite a détente between Berlin and Rome.
    • 1908 July 23, Theodor Barth, “Germany’s Political Position”, in The Independent, volume LXV, number 3112, New York, N.Y.: The Independent, […], →OCLC, page 197, column 1:
      This intellectual and moral unrest is the inner reason for the continued talk on triple alliances, dual alliances, ententes and detentes. Monarchs and statesmen always seem engaged in maneuvers on the diplomatic chessboard, in order to isolate one Power and to combine others.
    • 1944 March 15, E. Spears, “Syria and the Lebanon [Extracts from Weekly Political Summary No. 102, Secret, Syria and the Lebanon, 15th March, 1944]”, in Further Correspondence Respecting Eastern Affairs: January to March 1944, part 56, [London]: [The National Archives], page 111A:
      The receipt of the letter brought about a considerable détente; and the Lebanese were prevailed upon to send the President's Chef de Cabinet to meet General [Paul] Beynet on his arrival at the airport.
    • 2012, Christopher Clark, “Last Chances: Détente and Danger, 1912–1914”, in The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: HarperCollins, published 2013, →ISBN, page 318:
      Analogous structural and political constraints stood in the way of a lasting détente between Germany and Britain.
    • 2014 January 14, Stephen Kinzer, “Invading Iraq was dumb enough. Now Congress wants to derail the Iran deal”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian‎[1], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 14 June 2025:
      No step the United States could take anywhere in the world would bring strategic benefits as great as détente with Iran. It has tantalizing potential.

Alternative forms

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Translations

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ “détente, n.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, July 2023.
  2. ^ “détente, n.”, in Collins English Dictionary, 2011–present.

Further reading

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French

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Latin *detendita, as a feminine past participle of detendō (“to relax”).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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détente f (plural détentes)

  1. relaxation, détente
  2. trigger (firearms)
  3. (sports) height to which one is able to jump
  4. (physics) expansion of a gas or a spring

Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • → English: détente, → detent

Further reading

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Anagrams

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