Vex
/vɛks/noun
To annoy, frustrate, or trouble someone.
Did you know?Its oldest known ancestor, Latin *vexare*, meant not just “to annoy” but to shake, jolt, or harass violently—language that feels almost physical.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*weǵʰ-
“to carry, convey, or move”
Latin
Latin
vehere
“to carry, transport”
Latin
Latin
vexare
“to shake, jolt, harass, trouble”
Old French
Old French
vexer
“to annoy, distress, humiliate”
Middle English
English
vexen
“to trouble, afflict, or annoy”
Modern English
English
vex
“to annoy, frustrate, or trouble”