mo ‧ lest /məˈlest/ BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: molester , from Latin molestare , from molestus 'heavy, annoying' , from moles 'mass' ]
1 . to attack or harm someone, especially a child, by touching them in a sexual way or by trying to have sex with them SYN abuse :
men who molest young boys
2 . old-fashioned to attack and physically harm someone:
a dog that was molesting sheep
—molester noun [countable]
—molestation /ˌməʊleˈsteɪʃ ə n $ ˌmoʊ-/ noun [uncountable] :
sexual molestation
⇨ ↑ child molester