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pes·ter

(pĕstər)

tr.v. pes·tered, pes·ter·ing, pes·ters

To annoy persistently, as with repeated demands or questions. See Synonyms at harass.

[Probably short for French empestrer, to constrain, embarrass (probably also influenced by PEST), from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *impāstōriāre : Latin in-, in; see IN-² + Vulgar Latin *pāstōria, a hobble, from Latin, feminine of pāstōrius, of a herdsman (from pāstor, herdsman; see pā- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots).]

pester·er n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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