molest

English

Etymology

From Middle English molesten, from Old French molester, from Latin molestō (“to trouble, annoy, molest”), from molestus (“troublesome”), from moles (“a burden, difficulty, labor, trouble”); see mole.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /məˈlɛst/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛst

Verb

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

1. To sexually assault or sexually harass.

   Synonyms: come on to, diddle, touch

2. To annoy, trouble, or afflict.

   Synonyms: bother, disturb; see also Thesaurus:annoy

   • 1594–1597, Richard Hooker, edited by J[ohn] S[penser], Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, […], London: […] Will[iam] Stansby [for Matthew Lownes], published 1611, →OCLC, (please specify the page):

     They have molested the church with needless opposition.

   • 2020, Chief Executive in Council, “Prevention and Control of Disease (Prohibition on Group Gathering) Regulation”, in Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Gazette‎^[1], Section 13(1), page B555:

     A person must not delay, obstruct, hinder or molest an authorized officer who is performing a function under this Regulation.

3. (obsolete) To disturb or tamper with.

   Synonyms: dabble in, interfere with, meddle with

Derived terms

• molester
• molestful

 

Related terms

• molestation

 

Translations

to annoy intentionally

• Bulgarian: задявам (bg) (zadjavam)
• 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
• Old English: eġlan
• Persian: آزار دادن (fa) (âzâr dâdan)
• Polish: molestować (pl) impf, naprzykrzać się (pl) impf
• Portuguese: molestar (pt)
• Romanian: molesta (ro), necăji (ro)
• Russian: досажда́ть (ru) (dosaždátʹ)
• Spanish: molestar (es)
• Swedish: störa (sv)
• Ukrainian: чіплятися (čipljatysja), докучати (dokučaty)

to abuse

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

  Bokmål: antaste

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

to disturb or tamper with

• Bulgarian: безпокоя (bg) (bezpokoja)
• Finnish: häiritä (fi)
• Polish: molestować (pl) impf
• Swedish: störa (sv), ofreda (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

• Motles, motels

Indonesian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing 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.