pest

C2+ Topic:Animals

US /pɛst/ UK /pɛst/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like paste /ɛ/ vs /eɪ/

noun

Meanings

1

noun
a destructive insect or animal, or an annoying person

Aphids are a common pest in vegetable gardens.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a destructive insect or... nuisance bother annoyance vermin plague irritant blight

Word family

Derived forms pestypester

Related forms pestilencepesticidepestiferous

Etymology

From Middle French peste, from Latin pestis ('plague, contagious disease, destruction'); the sense 'troublesome person or insect' developed by transfer.

pestis Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Animals

# pest

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** pɛst
**IPA (UK):** pɛst

## Meanings
1. a destructive insect or animal, or an annoying person

## Examples
- Aphids are a common pest in vegetable gardens.

## Synonyms
- nuisance
- bother
- annoyance
- vermin
- plague
- irritant
- blight

## Derived Forms
- pesty
- pester

## Related Forms
- pestilence
- pesticide
- pestiferous

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: pestis

## Etymology
From Middle French peste, from Latin pestis ('plague, contagious disease, destruction'); the sense 'troublesome person or insect' developed by transfer.

## AI Etymology
Pest is from Middle French peste, from Latin pestis ('plague, contagious disease, destruction'); the sense 'troublesome person or insect' developed by transfer. Important recorded forms include pestis (Latin). The current sense covers a destructive insect or animal, or an annoying person. The wider family includes derived forms such as pesty and pester and related words such as pestilence, pesticide, and pestiferous.

## Topics
- Animals

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pest

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