molest

English

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle English (deprecated template usage) molesten, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old French (deprecated template usage) molester, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin (deprecated template usage) molestare, from (deprecated template usage) molestus, from (deprecated template usage) moles; see mole.

Verb

molest (third-person singular simple present molests, present participle molesting, simple past and past participle molested)

1. To annoy intentionally
2. To disturb or tamper with.
   • Hooker

     They have molested the church with needless opposition.

3. To sexually abuse, especially a minor

   The man who molested the child he was babysitting has been arrested.

Derived terms

• molester
• molestful

Related terms

• molestation

Translations

to abuse

• Catalan: assetjar (ca)
• Finnish: kiusata (fi), ahdistella (fi), (sexually) käyttää hyväksi, (sexually) hyväksikäyttää
• French: violer (fr), abuser (fr)
• Maori: tūkino, takakino, whakakino, whakakinokino
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Portuguese: molestar (pt)
• Russian: совращать (ru) (sovraščatʹ), растлевать (ru) (rastlevatʹ)
• Spanish: acosar (es)

to annoy intentionally

• Finnish: kiusata (fi), vaivata (fi), rasittaa, häiritä (fi), ärsyttää (fi)
• French: embêter (fr)
• German: belästigen (de)
• Maori: turatura, mui
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Romanian: molesta (ro), necăji (ro)
• Russian: досажда́ть (ru) (dosaždátʹ)
• Spanish: molestar (es)

to disturb or tamper with

• Finnish: häiritä (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Northern Sami: jävlas

External links

• “molest”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “molest”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• motels