The harmful or unintended consequences that happen as a result of an action or decision.
From Latin 'repercussio' (a driving back or rebounding). The prefix 're-' means back, and 'percussio' means striking. The term originally meant a literal bouncing back, then evolved to describe consequences that 'bounce back' from an action.
The original meaning of 'repercussion' is literally a sound bouncing back—like an echo in a canyon. When we talk about consequences as 'repercussions,' we're using an acoustic metaphor to describe how actions reverberate through time and affect people far removed from the original event.
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