Stalker
/ˈstɔːkər/noun
A person who pursues or harasses someone persistently and unwantedly.
Did you know?The modern sense of *stalker* is surprisingly recent, but it grew out of older hunting language where *to stalk* meant to approach prey stealthily, as if the word itself learned how to hunt.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*stel-
“to put, place; stand still”
Old English
OE
stealcian
“to move stealthily or step carefully”
Middle English
ME
stalken
“to walk softly, creep, or move cautiously”
16th Century
English
stalk
“to approach prey or a person stealthily”
19th Century
English
stalker
“one who stalks game; later, one who pursues another persistently”
Modern English
English
stalker
“a person who harasses or follows someone obsessively”