perturb
UK[pəˈtɜːb]US[pərˈtɜːrb]
v
To make someone anxious or unsettled; to disturb mentally.
v
To cause a system, movement, or process to become inaccurate or disordered.
Morpheme Breakdown
per
turb
per
thoroughly
turb
disturb
Etymology
The word "perturb" entered English in the late 14th century from the Old French pertourber and directly from the Latin perturbāre, meaning "to throw into confusion, disturb, or disorder." It is a compound of the intensive prefix per- (meaning "thoroughly") and the verb turbāre (meaning "to disturb, agitate"), which itself is derived from turba meaning "turmoil, crowd." The core logic of the word has remained remarkably consistent from its Latin origins: the action of thoroughly (per-) agitating or disturbing (turb) a state of calm or order, whether applied to a person's mind or a physical system.
Analysis
Structure: per (thoroughly) + turb (disturb)
- per: A Latin prefix meaning "through, thoroughly, to completion."
- turb: A Latin root from the verb turbāre, meaning "to disturb, agitate, throw into disorder."
Examples
The unexpected news did not perturb her calm demeanor.
Even a small error can perturb the delicate calculations of the orbit.
He was perturbed by the strange sounds coming from the attic at night.