détente: [20] English originally acquired this word from French in the 17th century as detent, which denotes a catch that regulates the movement of a clock. French détente, which originally signified a device for releasing a crossbow string, came from the past participle of Old French destendre ‘release’, a compound verb formed from the prefix des- ‘apart’ and tendre ‘stretch’ (related to English tension).
But English-speakers, mistakenly associating it with detain [15] (a verb of completely different origin, via Old French detenir from Latin dētinēre ‘keep back’) completely reversed its meaning, applying to a restraining catch rather than a releasing one. French, the language of diplomacy, re-lent détente to English in the first decade of the 20th century in the sense ‘relaxation of international tension’. => tension
detente (n.)
1908 as a political term, a borrowing of French détente "loosening, slackening" (used in the Middle Ages for the catch of a crossbow), from Vulgar Latin detendita, fem. past participle of Latin detendere "loosen, release," from de- "from, away" (see de-) + tendere "stretch" (see tenet). The reference is to a "relaxing" in a political situation. The French word was earlier borrowed as detent (1680s) "catch which regulates the strike in a clock."
例文
1. They have made the first move towards a detente .
彼らはすでに両国関係を緩和する第一歩を踏み出した。
2.We can 't possibly believe the myth of " detente "now.
私たちは今、どうしても「緩和」の神話を信じていません。They talk about detente ，but in actuality they are engaged in intense rivalry.
彼らは口の中で緩和を言っているが、骨の中で激しい争奪戦を行っている。
4.Many people say that detente is now a dead letter.
国際的な緊張緩和の論調はすでに明日の黄花だと言う人が多い。
5.He warned against a fake detente that would sap resistance to expansionism.