v.
Pronunciation: h ə - ' ras; ' her- ə s, ' ha-r ə s
Function: transitive verb
Etymology: French harasser, from Middle French, from harer to set a dog on, from Old French hare, interjection used to incite dogs, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German hier here ― more at HERE
Date: 1617
1 a : EXHAUST , FATIGUE b (1) : to annoy persistently (2) : to create an unpleasant or hostile situation for especially by uninvited and unwelcome verbal or physical conduct
2 : to worry and impede by repeated raids < harass ed the enemy>
synonyms see WORRY
– ha · rass · er noun
– ha · rass · ment \ -m ə nt \ noun