pester
/ˈpɛstɚ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.57 in modern English
8
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "He pestered me with questions."
- "She pestered him to help her."
- "That which eſpecialleſt nouriſht the moſt prime pleaſure in me, was after a ſtorme when they were driuen inſwarmes, and lay close peſtred together as thicke as they could packe; the next day following, if it were faire, they would cloud the whole skie with canuas, by ſpreading their drabled ſailes in the full clue abroad a drying, and make a brauer ſhew with them, then ſo many banners and ſtreamers diſplayed againſt the Sunne on a mountaine top."
- "By now I presumed I had become a real pester."
Etymology
In the senses of “overcrowd (a place)” and “impede (a person)”: from Middle French and Old French empestrer (“encumber”), influenced by English pest. The modern sense is an extension of the sense “infest”. Comparable to English construction pest + -er (used to form frequentative verbs).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: -, empestrer
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈpɛstɚ/
- British English: /ˈpɛstə(ɹ)/