in-fester
verb (used with object)
1.
to live in or overrun to an unwanted degree or in a troublesome manner, especially as predatory animals or vermin do: Sharks infested the coastline.
2.
to be numerous in, as anything undesirable or troublesome: the cares that infest the day.
3.
Archaic. to harass.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To in-fester
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In-fester
is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
infest (ɪnˈfɛst) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | to inhabit or overrun in dangerously or unpleasantly large numbers |
| 2. | (of parasites such as lice) to invade and live on or in (a host) |
| [C15: from Latin infestāre to molest, from infestus hostile] | |
| infes'tation | |
| —n | |
| in'fester | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
infest
late 15c., "to attack, assail, hurt, distress, annoy," from M.Fr. infester, from L. infestare "to attack, disturb, trouble," from infestus "hostile, dangerous," originally "inexorable, not able to be handled," from in- "not" + -festus "(able to be) seized." Sense of "swarm over in large numbers" first
recorded c.1600.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
infest in·fest (ĭn-fěst')
v. in·fest·ed, in·fest·ing, in·fests
To live as a parasite in or on tissues or organs or on the skin and its appendages.
To inhabit or overrun in numbers large enough to be harmful, threatening, or obnoxious.
in'fes·ta'tion n.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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