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pother

[poth -er]
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noun
  1. commotion; uproar.
  2. a heated discussion, debate, or argument; fuss; to-do.
  3. a choking or suffocating cloud, as of smoke or dust.
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verb (used with or without object)
  1. to worry; bother.
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Origin of pother

First recorded in 1585–95; origin uncertain
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for pother

annoyance, flap, agitation, confusion, turmoil, commotion, bother, controversy, uproar, harass, hassle, bustle, ado, stir, flutter, worry, fuss

Examples from the Web for pother

Historical Examples of pother

  • Why, that here is a deal of pother about some foolish words.

    The Strolling Saint

    Raphael Sabatini

  • If you can give no help, spare drowning me with your pother.

    St. Ronan's Well

    Sir Walter Scott

  • But the Poltroon with the white wig was not out of his Pother yet.

  • Never was a man's life cut short with less solemnity or pother.

  • Now, what is there about Rooney's to inspire all this pother?

British Dictionary definitions for pother

pother

noun
  1. a commotion, fuss, or disturbance
  2. a choking cloud of smoke, dust, etc
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verb
  1. to make or be troubled or upset
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Word Origin for pother

C16: of unknown origin
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 pother

n.

1590s, "disturbance, commotion," of unknown origin. Meaning "mental trouble" is from 1640s; verb sense of "to fluster" is attested from 1690s.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper