Dear Fiberbabe: your "menace" prompted me to get etymology:
menace (n.) - c.1300, "declaration of hostile intent," also "act of threatening," from O.Fr. menace, from V.L. minacia "threat, menace," sing. of L. minaciæ "threatening things," from minax (gen. minacis) "threatening," from minari "threaten, jut, project," from minæ "threats, projecting points." Applied to persons from 1936. The verb is attested from 1303.

Which reminded me of a word I have found useful:"
"minatory" meaning threatening.