Etymology

annoy

an·noy
A1N1N1O1Y4

Today it means: To disturb or irritate, especially by continued or repeated acts; to bother with unpleasant deeds. Full definition →

Middle English anoyen ← Old French enoiier ← Late Latin inodiāre
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annoy · verb1

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₁én
  2. Proto-Italic*en
  3. Proto-Italic*en-
  4. Latinin-
  5. Proto-Indo-European*h₃ed-
  6. Proto-Italic*odjom
  7. Latinodium
  8. Late Latininodiāre
  9. Old Frenchenoiier
  10. Middle Englishanoyen
  11. English todayannoy

From Middle English anoyen, from Old French anoier (“to bother, disturb”), from Late Latin inodiāre (“to make loathsome”), derived from Latin odium (“loathing, hatred”). Displaced native Old English dreċċan, gremman.

annoy · noun2

  1. Old French · derived fromenui
  2. Middle English · inherited fromanoy
  3. English todayannoy

From Middle English anoy, from Old French enui. Doublet of ennui.

Words from the same roots

Late Latininodiāre all →

noisome

Latinodium all →

odiumodium generis humani

Old Frenchenui all →

ennui

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.