Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “infest” come from?

Infest comes from Middle English infesten, from Old French infester, from Latin infesto, derived from the adjective infestus meaning hostile, which traces back through Latin infendo and fendo to Proto-Indo-European roots gʷʰen- and bʰon-.

infest (English): To inhabit a place in unpleasantly large numbers;...

Definitions

  1. To inhabit a place in unpleasantly large numbers;...

Ancestry of “infest”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishinfesten—
2Old Frenchinfesterto infest
3Latinīnfestō—
4Latininfestusunsafe, dangerous; hostile, aggressive;...
5Latininfendostrike
6LatinfendoI hit; I thrust
7Proto-Indo-Europeangʷʰen-to strike, slay, kill
8Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰon-—

Words derived from “infest”

  • disinfest
  • reinfest
  • infester
  • infestive
  • infesteth
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰon- →