perturb

Definition

To cause (something) to be physically disordered or disturbed; to cause confusion.

Etymology

From Late Middle English perturben (“to disturb (someone) mentally, disquiet; to cause disorder to (something), confuse; to hinder (something)”), from Old French perturber, and from its etymon Latin perturbāre, the present active infinitive of perturbō (“to confuse; to alarm, disturb, trouble, perturb”), from per- (intensifying prefix) + turbō (“to agitate, disturb, unsettle, perturb; to upset”) (from turba (“disorder, disturbance, turmoil”) (possibly from Ancient Greek τῠ́ρβη (tŭ́rbē, “confusion, disorder, tumult”), either from Pre-Greek, or Proto-Indo-European *(s)twerH- (“to agitate, stir up; to urge on, propel”)) + -ō (suffix forming infinitives of regular first-conjugation verbs)).

Example Sentences

• "Mary therefore the more knaue art thou I ſay / That perturbeſt the worde of god I ſay […]"
• "The Nobles ſtandyng by hearyng him thus ſpeake were greatly agreeued with him, notyng in him arrogancy and wilfulneſſe, in perturbyng and refuſyng ſuch an honeſt order of agreement: […]"
• "[T]he grounds and firſt inventions of Poeticall fables, […] vvere alſo taken up by hiſtoricall VVriters, perturbing the Chaldean and Ægyptian Records vvith fabulous additions, and confounding their names and ſtories, vvith their ovvne inventions."

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