pes·ter  (p ĕs t ər)
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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).]
pester·er n. |
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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
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