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pester

[ pes-ter ]
/ ˈpɛs tər /
||
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verb (used with object)

to bother persistently with petty annoyances; trouble: Don't pester me with your trivial problems.
Obsolete. to overcrowd.

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International Sayings Lost In TranslationRead more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
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RELATED WORDS

bedevil, annoy, nag, tease, hector, irk, torment, hassle, hound, badger, disturb, nudge, beleaguer, ride, tantalize, dog, insist, remind, plague, importune

Nearby words

  1. pessoa,
  2. pest,
  3. pest house,
  4. pestalozzi,
  5. pestalozzi, johann heinrich,
  6. pester power,
  7. pesthole,
  8. pesthouse,
  9. pesticide,
  10. pestiferous

Origin of pester

1530–40; perhaps aphetic variant of empester, impester to tangle, encumber (though pester is found earlier than these 2 words) < Middle French empestrer to hobble, entangle < Vulgar Latin *impāstōriāre to hobble, equivalent to im- im-1 + pāstōri(a) a hobble, noun use of Latin pāstōrius of a herdsman or shepherd + -āre infinitive suffix (see pastor); aphetic form apparently reinforced by pest (cf. -er6)
ANTONYMS FOR pester
1. delight, entertain.
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Related formspes·ter·er, nounpes·ter·ing·ly, adverbpes·ter·some, adjectiveun·pes·tered, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pestered

British Dictionary definitions for pestered

pester

/ (ˈpɛstə) /

verb

(tr) to annoy or nag continually
Derived Formspesterer, nounpesteringly, adverb

Word Origin for pester

C16: from Old French empestrer to hobble (a horse), from Vulgar Latin impāstōriāre (unattested) to use a hobble, from pāstōria (unattested) a hobble, from Latin pāstōrius relating to a herdsman, from pastor herdsman
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for pestered

pester

v.

1520s, "to clog, entangle, encumber," probably a shortening of Middle French empestrer "place in an embarrassing situation" (Modern French empêtrer, Walloon epasturer), from Vulgar Latin *impastoriare "to hobble" (an animal), from Latin im- "in" + Medieval Latin pastoria (chorda) "(rope) to hobble an animal," from Latin pastoria, fem. of pastorius "of a herdsman," from pastor "herdsman" (see pastor (n.)). Sense of "annoy, trouble" (1560s) is from influence of pest. Related: Pestered; pestering.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper