English
vexed
Vexed comes from Old French vexer, and goes back to Latin vexō ‘to shake or jolt violently’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvexō‘to shake or jolt violently’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400vexer
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500vexen‘to afflict’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500vexed
- Englishearliest quotation 1901same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvexō‘to shake or jolt violently’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400vexer
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500vexen‘to afflict’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500vexed
- Englishearliest quotation 1901same form
Earliest quotation: 1901, H. Watkins-Pitchford, Rinderpest: “The question, however, as to whether rinderpest bile is…”
Formed from vex + -ed
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *weǵʰ- ‘to bring’
way, always, via, vehicle, wave, reveal, halfway, weigh, wagon, wee, vector, vogue, vein, wedge, veil, headway, wag, wonky, eunuch, venous, wey, waw, wain, invective, vena, velar, 39 more
through Middle English vexen ‘to afflict’
Today it means
adj annoyed, irritated or distressed
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin vexō / vexed