disturb

disturb
verb Etymology: Middle English disturben, destourben, from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French destorber, from Latin disturbare, from dis- + turbare to throw into disorder, from turba disorder — more at turbid Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. a. to interfere with ; interrupt <
disturbing the flow of traffic
>
b. to alter the position or arrangement of <
the items on her desk had been disturbed
>
c. to upset the natural and especially the ecological balance or relations of <
wetlands disturbed by development
>
2. a. to destroy the tranquillity or composure of <
the noisy lawnmower disturbed their sleep
>
b. to throw into disorder c. alarm d. to put to inconvenience <
sorry to disturb you at such a late hour
>
intransitive verb to cause disturbance Synonyms: see discomposedisturber noundisturbingly adverb

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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  • Disturb — Dis*turb , v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Disturbed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Disturbing}.] [OE. desturben, destourben, OF. destorber, desturber, destourber, fr. L. disturbare, disturbatum; dis + turbare to disturb, trouble, turba disorder, tumult, crowd. See… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • disturb — [di stʉrb′] vt. [ME distourben < OFr distourber < L disturbare, to drive asunder < dis , intens. + turbare, to disorder < turba, a crowd, mob: see TURBID] 1. to break up the quiet or serenity of; agitate (what is quiet or still) 2. to …   English World dictionary

  • disturb — dis·turb vt 1: to destroy the tranquillity or composure of 2: to throw into disorder vi: to cause disturbance disturb the peace: to cause a disturbance Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam Webster. 1996 …   Law dictionary

  • disturb — c.1300, to stop or hinder, from O.Fr. destorber (O.N.Fr. distourber) and directly from L. disturbare throw into disorder, from dis completely (see DIS (Cf. dis )) + turbare to disorder, disturb, from turba turmoil (see TURBID (Cf …   Etymology dictionary

  • disturb — [v1] bother, upset afflict, agitate, ail, alarm, amaze, annoy, arouse, astound, badger, burn up*, complicate, confound, confuse, depress, discompose, dishearten, disrupt, distract, distress, excite, fluster, frighten, gall, grieve, harass,… …   New thesaurus

  • disturb — ► VERB 1) interfere with the normal arrangement or functioning of. 2) interrupt the sleep, relaxation, or privacy of. 3) make anxious. DERIVATIVES disturbing adjective. ORIGIN Latin disturbare, from turbare disturb …   English terms dictionary

  • Disturb — Dis*turb , n. Disturbance. [Obs.] Milton. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • disturb — 1 unsettle, derange, *disorder, disarrange, disorganize Analogous words: displace, *replace: shift, remove, *move: *arrest, interrupt, check: *meddle, intermeddle, interfere, tamper Contrasted words: settle, * …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • disturb — dis|turb [dıˈstə:b US ə:rb] v [T] ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(interrupt)¦ 2¦(worry)¦ 3¦(move)¦ 4¦(change)¦ 5 disturb the peace ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ [Date: 1100 1200; : Old French; Origin: destourber, from Latin turbare to put into disorder ] 1.) …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • disturb */*/ — UK [dɪˈstɜː(r)b] / US [dɪˈstɜrb] verb [transitive] Word forms disturb : present tense I/you/we/they disturb he/she/it disturbs present participle disturbing past tense disturbed past participle disturbed 1) to interrupt someone and stop them from …   English dictionary

  • disturb — [[t]dɪstɜ͟ː(r)b[/t]] disturbs, disturbing, disturbed 1) VERB If you disturb someone, you interrupt what they are doing and upset them. [V n] Did you sleep well? I didn t want to disturb you. You looked so peaceful... [V n] Find a quiet, warm,… …   English dictionary

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