Infest
/ɪnˈfɛst/noun
To trouble, harass, or overrun persistently, especially with pests or harmful forces.
Did you know?In Latin, the same root behind *infest* could mean hostile or dangerous, and English kept that sense alive when the word shifted from ‘to attack’ to ‘to overrun with pests.’
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dhes-
“To stand, set, or establish”
Latin
Latin
festus
“Busy, active, or in a state of festival; later influenced related forms”
Latin
Latin
infestus
“Hostile, unsafe, troublesome, dangerous”
Late Latin
Latin
infestare
“To attack, trouble, molest, or make unsafe”
Old French
French
infester
“To trouble, ravage, or overrun”
Middle English
English
infesten
“To ravage, trouble, or overrun”
Modern English
English
infest
“To overrun or be present in large numbers in a harmful way”