peeve
UK[piːv]US[piːv]
v
To annoy or irritate someone.
n
A particular source of annoyance or irritation.
Etymology
The word 'peeve' is a 20th-century back-formation from the much older adjective 'peevish', which dates to the late 14th century meaning "perverse, capricious, silly." The origin of 'peevish' itself is uncertain but is thought to be imitative or expressive in origin, possibly related to the Latin 'perversus' (turned the wrong way, perverse) or representing a spontaneous sound conveying a sense of querulous complaint. The modern verb 'to peeve' and its related noun 'a peeve' logically evolved from this core concept of a fretful, irritable disposition, now concretely referring to an act or specific object that causes such mild irritation.
Analysis
The word 'peeve' is a back-formation from the earlier noun 'peevish'. It functions as a simplex unit in modern English.
Examples
His constant humming is starting to peeve me.
One of my biggest pet peeves is people who are late.
She was peeved by the lack of consideration shown.