Where does “molest” come from?

Molest comes from Middle English molesten, from Old French molester, from Latin molestāre, derived from the adjective molestus meaning troublesome, formed from moles meaning burden or difficulty.

molest (English): To annoy intentionally; To disturb or tamper...

Definitions

  1. To annoy intentionally; To disturb or tamper...

Ancestry of “molest”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishmolestenTo harm, disturb, or distress
2Old Frenchmolester—
3LatinmolestoI bother, harass; dative/ablative...
4Latinmolestustroublesome, irksome, grievous, annoying,...
5Latinmōlēsmultitude, mass (of material)

Words derived from “molest”

Every word from Latin mōlēs →Every word from Latin molestus →Every word from Latin molesto →