Disturbs

/dɪˈstɜːbz/ verb

Definition

Makes someone worried or upset, or interrupts and breaks the peace or calm of something.

Etymology

From Latin 'disturbare', combining 'dis-' (apart) + 'turbare' (to throw into disorder, from 'turba', meaning crowd or confusion).

Kelly Says

The word's Latin root 'turba' (crowd) reveals why crowds disturb us—psychologically, large groups of people create legitimate stress signals in our brains that date back to our evolutionary past.

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.