perturb
Definitions
To make someone anxious, worried, or unsettled
使不安，使烦扰
To disturb the regular movement or state of a system (technical)
扰动（使系统偏离正常运动或状态，技术用法）
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedper- (thoroughly) + turb (stir up) = to disturb thoroughly, to unsettle deeply. In everyday use it unsettles a person's mind; in science it keeps the literal sense — an outside force perturbs a planet's orbit, nudging it off its expected path.
Root turb still carries 24 more wordsWhy It Means This
perturb is the "intensified" disturb: the per- prefix means thoroughly, so it implies a deeper, more lasting unsettling than ordinary disturb. Science kept the literal sense alive — in astronomy and physics, a body's motion is "perturbed" by an outside force, a precise technical disturbance that has nothing to do with emotion.
Example Sentences
- 1.
The strange noise from the engine perturbed the driver.
- 2.
Nothing seemed to perturb her steady concentration.
- 3.
A nearby planet's gravity perturbs the comet's orbit.