Etymologically
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noisome

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈnɔɪ.səm/[1]

Etymology

It was formed in Middle English from noie or noy “harm, annoyance”[2][3][4][5][6] and the suffix -some.[2][3][4][6] Noie is a shortened form of anoi “annoyance”, from Old French anoier “to annoy”.[2][3][4][5] It is related to annoy.[2][3][4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Harmful, injurious, noxious (1382).[7][3][4]

Semantic evolution

The sense “harmful” is now largely obsolete.[4] The sense “offensive to the smell” appeared in 1577,[7][4] and the word now usually means foul or disgusting.[2][5][6]

Timeline

  • about 1300 – noie, harm.[4]
  • 1382 – harmful.[7][3]
  • about 1440 – disagreeable, offensive.[7]
  • 1577 – ill-smelling.[7][4]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Offensive to the senses, especially to the smell; foul.
  2. Harmful or noxious.
  3. Highly objectionable.

Word family

  • noisomely
  • noisomeness
  • annoy
  • noxious

Usage notes

Random House gives fetid, putrid, rotten, stinking and mephitic as synonyms.[6]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press