molest

English

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle English molesten, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old French molester, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin molestare (“to trouble, annoy, molest”), from molestus (“troublesome”), from moles (“a burden, difficulty, labor, trouble”); 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 assault or sexually harass, especially a minor.

Derived terms

• molester
• molestful

Related terms

• molestation

Translations

to annoy intentionally

• Finnish: kiusata (fi), vaivata (fi), rasittaa (fi), häiritä (fi), ärsyttää (fi)
• French: embêter (fr)
• German: belästigen (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: ὀχλέω (okhléō)

• Maori: turatura, mui, whakatete
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Portuguese: molestar (pt)
• Romanian: molesta (ro), necăji (ro)
• Russian: досажда́ть (ru) (dosaždátʹ)
• Spanish: molestar (es)
• Swedish: störa (sv)

to disturb or tamper with

• Finnish: häiritä (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Swedish: störa (sv), ofreda (sv)

to abuse

• Catalan: assetjar (ca)
• Danish: antaste
• Finnish: kiusata (fi), ahdistella (fi), (sexually) käyttää hyväksi, (sexually) hyväksikäyttää
• French: violer (fr), abuser (fr)
• Greek: κακοποιώ (el) (kakopoió), ασελγώ (el) (aselgó)
• Maori: tūkino, takakino, whakakino, whakakinokino, turatura
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: antaste

• Portuguese: molestar (pt)
• Russian: совращать (ru) (sovraščatʹ), растлевать (ru) (rastlevatʹ)
• Spanish: acosar (es)
• Swedish: antasta (sv)

Further reading

• “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

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Indonesian

Etymology

From Dutch molest.

Noun

molest

1. (law) damage from war.

Further reading

• “molest” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.