harass
[ huh-ras, har-uhs ]
/ həˈræs, ˈhær əs /
verb (used with object)
to disturb persistently; torment, as with troubles or cares; bother continually; pester; persecute.
to trouble by repeated attacks, incursions, etc., as in war or hostilities; harry; raid.
Origin of harass
1610–20; < French, Middle French
harasser to harry, harass, verbal derivative of
harace, harache (in phrase
courre a la harace pursue), equivalent to
hare cry used to urge dogs on (< Frankish
*hara here, from this side; compare Old High German
hera, Middle Dutch
hare) +
-asse augmentative or pejorative suffix < Latin
-ācea
SYNONYMS FOR harass
pronunciation note for harass
harass , a 17th-century French borrowing, has traditionally been pronounced
[har-uhs] /ˈhær əs/, with stress on the first syllable. A newer pronunciation,
[huh-ras] /həˈræs/, has developed in North American (but not British) English. While this newer pronunciation is sometimes criticized by older educated speakers, it has become the more common one in the U.S., especially among younger educated speakers, some of whom have only minimal familiarity with the older form.
OTHER WORDS FROM harass
Words nearby harass
harangue,
harappa,
harappan,
harar,
harare,
harass,
harassment,
harbin,
harbinger,
harbinger-of-spring,
harbona
Example sentences from the Web for harassing
British Dictionary definitions for harassing
harass
/ (ˈhærəs, həˈræs) /
verb
(tr)
to trouble, torment, or confuse by continual persistent attacks, questions, etc
Derived forms of harass
harassed, adjective harassing, adjective, noun harassment, nounWord Origin for harass
C17: from French
harasser, variant of Old French
harer to set a dog on, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German
harēn to cry out