perturb

Contents

English

Etymology

From Middle English perturben, from Old French perturber, from Latin perturbare (“throw into confusion, confuse, disorder, disturb”), from per (“through”) + turbare (“to confuse, disturb”).

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /pɚˈtɝb/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(r)b

Verb

perturb (third-person singular simple present perturbs, present participle perturbing, simple past and past participle perturbed)

1. To disturb; to bother or unsettle.
2. (physics) To slightly modify the motion of an object.
3. (astronomy) To modify the motion of a body by exerting a gravitational force.
4. (mathematics) To modify slightly, such as an equation or value.

Derived terms

• perturbation
• perturbative
• perturbed
• perturbedly

Translations

to disturb; to bother or unsettle

• Armenian: խռովել (hy) (xṙovel)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 打扰 (zh)

• Ido: perturbar (io)

• Irish: buair
• Norwegian: forurolige, vekke uro (no) m, gjøre forstyrret, skake (opp), ryste (no)
• Spanish: perturbar (es)

(physics) to slightly modify the motion of an object

(astronomy) To modify the motion of a body by exerting a gravitational force

• Ido: perturbar (io)

(math) To modify slightly, such as an equation or value

Further reading

• perturb in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• perturb in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• perturb at OneLook Dictionary Search