disturb

Etymology

From Middle English destourben, from Anglo-Norman distourber and Old French destorber, from Latin disturbare, intensifying for turbare (“to throw into disorder”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)twerH-, *(s)turH- (“to rotate, swirl, twirl, move around”).

verb

1. (transitive) to confuse a quiet, constant state or a calm, continuous flow, in particular: thoughts, actions or liquids.
   The noisy ventilation disturbed me during the exam.
   The performance was disturbed twice by a ringing mobile phone.
   A school of fish disturbed the water.
2. (transitive) to divert, redirect, or alter by disturbing.
   A mudslide disturbed the course of the river.
   The trauma disturbed his mind.
3. (intransitive) to have a negative emotional impact; to cause emotional distress or confusion.

noun

1. (obsolete) disturbance