Where does “bothersome” come from?
Bothersome derives from English bother plus the English suffix -some, ultimately tracing through Proto-Indo-European tewh₂- and sem-.
bothersome (English): Causing bother or perplexity
Definitions
- Causing bother or perplexity
Ancestry of “bothersome”, step by step
bothersome traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English some
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | some | A certain number, at least two; An indefinite... |
| 2 | Middle English | som | some |
| 3 | Old English | sum | some |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *sum | some |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | sumaz | some (one), a certain (one) |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | sem- | together, one |
via English bother
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | bother | To annoy, to disturb, to irritate; To feel care... |
| 2 | Scots | bauther | bother, annoy |
Words derived from “bothersome”