Hypertext Webster Gateway: "perturb"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Perturb \Per*turb"\, v. t. [L. perturbare, perturbatum; per +
turbare to disturb, fr. turba a disorder: cf. OF. perturber.
See {Per-}, and {Turbid}.]
1. To disturb; to agitate; to vex; to trouble; to disquiet.
Ye that . . . perturb so my feast with crying.
--Chaucer.
2. To disorder; to confuse. [R.] --Sir T. Browne.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
perturb
v 1: disturb in mind or make uneasy or cause to be worried or
alarmed; "She was rather perturbed by the news that her
father was seriously ill" [syn: {unhinge}, {disquiet}, {trouble},
{cark}, {distract}, {disorder}]
2: disturb or interfere with the usual path of an electron or
atom; "The electrons were perturbed by the passing ion"
3: cause a celestial body to deviate from a theoretically
regular orbital motion, esp. as a result of interposed or
extraordinary gravitational pull; "The orbits of these
stars were perturbed by the passings of a comet"
4: throw into great confusion or disorder; "Fundamental
Islamicists threaten to perturb the social order in
Algeria and Egypt" [syn: {derange}, {throw out of kilter}]
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