Etymologically
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harassment

Etymology and origin of the English word harassment

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1693
Ultimate origin
English (harass)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈhær.əs.mənt/, /həˈræs.mənt/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from harass and -ment.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The action of harassing, or the state of being harassed; vexation: 1693 in the Historical Thesaurus,[3] 1753 in Etymonline and the OED.[2][4]

Semantic evolution

The specific sense, unwarranted and now often unlawful words or behaviour that cause distress or intimidation, is dated from 1953 in the Historical Thesaurus,[3] and is the sense of compounds such as sexual harassment and police harassment.[1]

Timeline

  • 1693 – harassment, vexation.[3]
  • 1753 – first OED quotation.[4][2]
  • 1953 – unlawful harassing behaviour.[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The act of harassing someone, or the state of being harassed; annoyance or vexation.
  2. Unpleasant, threatening or intimidating behaviour towards a person, often unlawful: police harassment.

Word family

  • overharassment
  • sexual harassment
  • harass

References

  1. ^ a b Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (2009), 5th ed., Harlow: Pearson Longman
  2. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Irené, eds. (2009), Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press; online edition (2024)
  4. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Harassment.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/harassment. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·