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.
OTHER WORDS FOR pester
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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)
OTHER WORDS FROM pester
pes·ter·er, nounpes·ter·ing·ly, adverbpes·ter·some, adjectiveun·pes·tered, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use pester in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for pester
pester
/ (ˈpɛstə) /
verb
(tr) to annoy or nag continually
Derived forms of pester
pesterer, nounpesteringly, adverbWord 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
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