“harassing” is a form of
harass
/həˈɹæs/ verb, noun
Forms harasses harassing harassed
- verb To annoy (someone) frequently or systematically; to pester.
- verb (specifically) To persistently bother (someone, or a group of people) physically or psychologically when such behaviour is illegal and/or unwanted, especially over an extended period.
- verb To put excessive burdens upon (someone); to subject (someone) to anxieties. “To harass good people is no different than speaking ill of them.”
- verb To trouble (someone, or a group of people) through repeated military-style attacks.
- verb (obsolete) Often followed by out: to fatigue or tire (someone) with exhausting and repeated efforts.
- noun (archaic) Harassment; pestering.
Synonyms
beleaguer beset chevy harry molest plague badger bait bedevil persecute dog bullyrag besiege bug devil give someone grief hound pester pick at vex hassle chivy chivvy chevvy provoke
Etymology
The verb is derived from Middle French, Old French harasser (“to exhaust, tire out, wear out; to harry, torment, vex”) (modern French harasser (“to exhaust, tire out, wear out”)), possibly from Old French harer (“to set a dog on”), from Frankish *hara (“here, hither”) (a command for a dog to attack), from Proto-Germanic *hē₂r (“here, in this place”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱe (“here; this”) + *ís (“the (person or thing just named)”) + *-r.
The noun is derived from the verb.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To fatigue; to tire with repeated and exhausting efforts; esp., to weary by importunity, teasing, or fretting; to cause to endure excessive burdens or anxieties; --sometimes followed by out. [Troops] harassed with a long and wearisome march. Bacon.
- noun Devastation; waste. [Obs.] Milton.
- noun Worry; harassment. [R.] Byron.
Etymology [F. harasser; cf. OF. harace a basket made of cords, harace, harasse,a very heavy and large shield; or harer to set (a dog) on.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “harass”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details