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infest

 - 4 dictionary results

in⋅fest

  [in-fest]
Use infest in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to live in or overrun to an unwanted degree or in a troublesome manner, esp. 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.
Origin:
1375–1425; late ME < L infestāre to assail, molest, deriv. of infestus hostile

Related forms:
in⋅fest⋅er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To infest
in·fest   (ĭn-fěst')   
tr.v.   in·fest·ed, in·fest·ing, in·fests

  1. To inhabit or overrun in numbers or quantities large enough to be harmful, threatening, or obnoxious: rats infesting the sewers; streets that were infested with drugs.

  2. To live as a parasite in or on: livestock that were infested with tapeworms.


[Middle English infesten, to distress, from Old French infester, from Latin īnfestāre, from īnfestus, hostile; see gwhedh- in Indo-European roots.]
in'fes·ta'tion n., in·fest'er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: in·fest
Pronunciation: in-'fest
Function: transitive verb
: to live in or on as a parasite infestscats> infested with worms> —compare INFECT
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

infest in·fest (ĭn-fěst')
v. in·fest·ed, in·fest·ing, in·fests

  1. To live as a parasite in or on tissues or organs or on the skin and its appendages.

  2. 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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