bother

== English == === Etymology === Borrowed from Scots bauther, bather (“to bother”). Origin unknown. Perhaps related to Scots pother (“to make a stir or commotion, bustle”), also of unknown origin. Compare English pother (“to poke, prod”), variant of potter (“to poke”). More at potter. Perhaps related to Irish bodhaire (“noise”), Irish bodhraim (“to deafen, annoy”). === Pronunciation === (General Australian) IPA(key): /ˈbɔðə(ɹ)/ (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈbɒðə(ɹ)/ (General American) enPR: bŏʹ-thər IPA(key): /ˈbɑðɚ/ Rhymes: -ɒðə(ɹ) === Verb === bother (third-person singular simple present bothers, present participle bothering, simple past and past participle bothered) (transitive) To annoy, to disturb, to irritate; to be troublesome to, to make trouble for. Synonyms: annoy, disturb, inconvenience, irritate, put out, vex; see also Thesaurus:annoy, Thesaurus:upset (imperative, euphemistic) Damn; curse. (intransitive or reflexive) To feel care or concern; to burden or inconvenience oneself out of concern. Synonyms: care, mind; see also Thesaurus:care (intransitive, catenative) To take the trouble, to trouble oneself (to do something). Synonyms: go to the trouble, take the trouble To do something which is of negligible inconvenience. ==== Usage notes ==== In sense 3 this is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive or the gerund (-ing). See Appendix:English catenative verbs ==== Descendants ==== →⇒ Irish: badráil → Jersey Dutch: boddere ==== Translations ==== === Noun === bother (countable and uncountable, plural bothers) Fuss, ado. Synonyms: see Thesaurus:commotion Trouble, inconvenience. Synonyms: see Thesaurus:nuisance ==== Translations ==== === Interjection === bother! (dated, euphemistic) A mild expression of annoyance. 1926, A A Milne, Winnie the Pooh, Methuen & Co., Ltd., Chapter 2 ...in which Pooh goes visiting and gets into a tight place: "Oh, help!" said Pooh. "I'd better go back." "Oh, bother!" said Pooh. "I shall have to go on." "I can't do either!" said Pooh. "Oh, help and bother!" ==== Synonyms ==== botheration, blast, dang (US), darn, drat, phooey, fiddlesticks ==== Translations ==== === Derived terms === === References === === Anagrams === Hobert, boreth