From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Pester \Pes"ter\ (p[e^]s"t[~e]r), v. t. [imp. & p. p.
{Pestered}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Pestering}.] [Abbrev. fr.
impester, fr. OF. empaistrier, empestrer, to entangle the
feet or legs, to embarrass, F. emp[^e]trer; pref. em-, en-
(L. in in) + LL. pastorium, pastoria, a fetter by which
horses are prevented from wandering in the pastures, fr. L.
pastorius belonging to a herdsman or shepherd, pastor a
herdsman. See {In}, and {Pasture}, {Pastor}.]
1. To trouble; to disturb; to annoy; to harass with petty
vexations.
[1913 Webster]
We are pestered with mice and rats. --Dr. H. More.
[1913 Webster]
A multitude of scribblers daily pester the world.
--Dryden.
[1913 Webster]
2. To crowd together in an annoying way; to overcrowd; to
infest. [Obs.] --Milton.
[1913 Webster]
All rivers and pools . . . pestered full with
fishes. --Holland.
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
pestering
adj 1: causing irritation or annoyance; "tapping an annoying
rhythm on his glass with his fork"; "aircraft noise is
particularly bothersome near the airport"; "found it
galling to have to ask permission"; "an irritating
delay"; "nettlesome paperwork"; "a pesky mosquito";
"swarms of pestering gnats"; "a plaguey newfangled safety
catch"; "a teasing and persistent thought annoyed him";
"a vexatious child"; "it is vexing to have to admit you
are wrong" [syn: {annoying}, {bothersome}, {galling},
{irritating}, {nettlesome}, {pesky}, {pestering},
{pestiferous}, {plaguy}, {plaguey}, {teasing},
{vexatious}, {vexing}]
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