Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “annoying” come from?

Annoying comes from Middle English -ing suffix added to annoy, from Latin necare meaning to kill, derived from Latin odium meaning hatred.

annoying (English): Causing irritation or annoyance; troublesome;...

Definitions

  1. Causing irritation or annoyance; troublesome;...

Ancestry of “annoying”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-ingUsed to form gerunds, a type of verbal nouns,...
2Old English-ingForming nouns from verbs, indicating action,...
3Old English-tūn—
4Old Englishtūnenclosure, yard; place; dwelling
5Proto-West Germanictūnfence
6Proto-Germanictūnąfence; enclosure
7Gaulishdunumfort; hill, hillfort
8Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
9Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

Words derived from “annoying”

  • annoyingly
  • annoyingness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →