vex

See also: VEX

English

WOTD – 13 July 2006

Etymology

From Middle English vexen, from Old French vexer, from Latin vēxāre (“disturb, agitate, annoy”). Doublet of quake. Displaced native Old English dreċċan and gremman.

Pronunciation

enPR: vĕks, IPA^(key): /vɛks/
Audio (US) (file)
Audio (AU) (file)
Rhymes: -ɛks

Verb

vex (third-person singular simple present vexes, present participle vexing, simple past and past participle vexed or (archaic) vext)

(transitive) To annoy, irritate.
Synonyms: agitate, irk, irritate
Billy's professor was vexed by his continued failure to improve his grades.
(transitive) To cause (mental) suffering to; to distress.
Synonyms: afflict, grame, torment
- 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], Francesca Carrara. […], volume II, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), OCLC 630079698, page 151:
  I will not again vex her ear with words of love, however true, however deep: ours is an evil destiny, and we may not control it!
(transitive, now rare) To trouble aggressively, to harass.
- 1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], OCLC 762018299, Acts xij:[1], folio clxxj, verso:
  In that tyme Herode the kynge layed hondes on certayne of the congregaciõ
  to vexe them.
(transitive, rare) To twist, to weave.
- 1668, John Dryden, Annus Mirabilis: The Year of Wonders, M. DC. LXVI. […], London: […] Henry Herringman, […], OCLC 1064438096, (please specify the stanza number):
  some English wool, vexed in a Belgian loom
(intransitive, obsolete) To be irritated; to fret.
- 1613, George Chapman, The Revenge of Bussy D'Ambois
  Wake when thou would'st wake, fear nought, vex for nought
(transitive) To toss back and forth; to agitate; to disquiet.
- 1725, Homer; [Elijah Fenton], transl., “Book IV”, in The Odyssey of Homer. […], volume I, London: […] Bernard Lintot, OCLC 8736646:
  White curl the waves, and the vexed ocean roars.

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:vex.

Derived terms

vexed
vexer
vexingly
vexation
vexatious

Related terms

quake
vexatious

Translations

to annoy

Bulgarian: ядосвам (bg) (jadosvam)
Cornish: veksya
Czech: otravovat (cs)
Dutch: ergeren (nl)
Finnish: ärsyttää (fi)
French: ennuyer (fr), énerver (fr)
Georgian: გაღიზიანება (gaɣizianeba)
German: ärgern (de), verärgern (de), reizen (de), irritieren (de)
Hindi: परेशान करना (pareśān karnā), दिमाग खाना (dimāg khānā, literally “to eat [someone's] brain”), दिमाग चाटना (dimāg cāṭnā, literally “to lick [someone's] brain”)
Hungarian: piszkál (hu), vegzál (hu)
Ido: iracigar (io)
Italian: vessare (it), innervosire
Latin: vexō, piget, taedet
Maori: hawene
Old English: dreċċan, gremman
Persian: آزردن‎ (fa) (âzordan)
Portuguese: vexar (pt), irritar (pt), aborrecer (pt)
Russian: раздража́ть (ru) (razdražátʹ), досажда́ть (ru) (dosaždátʹ)
Scottish Gaelic: sàraich
Spanish: molestar (es), irritar (es)
Swedish: irritera (sv), förarga (sv)
Turkish: kızdırmak (tr)

to distress; to cause mental suffering

Czech: trápit (cs)
Dutch: kwellen (nl)
Finnish: kiusata (fi), vaivata (fi)
French: vexer (fr) informal, tourmenter (fr)
Georgian: აღელვება (aɣelveba)
German: beunruhigen (de), quälen (de)
Greek:
Ancient: ἀνιάω (aniáō)
Hindi: खून पीना (khūn pīnā, literally “to drink [someone's] blood”)
Irish: buair
Italian: tormentare (it), vessare (it), infastidire (it)
Persian: رنجاندن‎ (fa) (ranjândan)
Portuguese: tormentar, vexar (pt)
Quechua: ch'iqmichiy
Russian: волнова́ть (ru) (volnovátʹ)
Scottish Gaelic: sàraich
Spanish: disgustar (es), afligir (es), atormentar (es)
Turkish: rahatsız etmek (tr)

rare, archaic: to trouble aggressively

Bulgarian: дразня (bg) (draznja)
French: vexer (fr)
Spanish: fastidiar (es) m, vejar (es)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

German: ^{(please verify)} beleidigen (de)

Noun

vex (plural vexes)

(Scotland, obsolete) A trouble.

References

Douglas Harper (2001–2023), “vex”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Middle English

Noun

vex

Alternative form of wax (“wax”)

Verb

vex

Alternative form of vexen

Old Norse

Verb

vex

first/second/third-person singular present active indicative of vaxa