infest

infest (ɪnˈfɛst)

—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

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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.

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.

Example sentences

Learn about invasive plants, especially those that infest your area.

The ability of termites to find, infest, and feed upon wood after it had been

charred was evaluated in the laboratory and field.

And spam messages and infectious postings continue to infest social networks.

Tracheal mites live in the breathing or tracheal tubes of adult honey bees and

only move outside the host to infest other bees.

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larch sawfly leaf beetle manifest meadow nematode Oriental fruit moth seed beetle

Matching Quote

"I shall not bring an automobile with me. These inventions infest France almost as much as Bloomer cycling costumes, but they make a horrid racket, and are particularly objectionable. So are the Bloomers. Nothing more abominable has ever been invented. Perhaps the automobile tricycles may succeed better, but I abjure all these works of the devil."

-Henry Brooks Adams