pest C2+ Topic:Animals US /pɛst/ UK /pɛst/ See IPA manual Minimal pairs Sounds like paste /ɛ/ vs /eɪ/ 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... nuisancebotherannoyanceverminplagueirritantblight Word family Derived forms pestypester Related forms pestilencepesticidepestiferous Etymology AI details 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 External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # 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 markdown