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perturb

per·turb [ pər túrb ] (past and past participle per·turbed, present participle per·turb·ing, 3rd person present singular per·turbs)


transitive verb 
Definition:
 
1. disturb somebody: to disturb and trouble somebody

2. render something into state of disorder: to render something into a state of confusion or disorder

3. cause something to undergo perturbation: to cause a small deviation in the behavior of a physical system, e.g. in the orbit of an electron or a planet

[14th century. Via French< Latin perturbare "disturb thoroughly" < turbare "disturb" < turba "turmoil"]

per·turb·a·ble adjective
per·turb·a·bly adverb
per·turb·ing adjective
per·turb·ing·ly adverb
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