Etymograph

English

vexation

Vexation comes from Anglo-Norman vexacion, from Latin vexātiō ‘shaking or similar violent movement’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weǵʰ- ‘to bring’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weǵʰ-1‘to bring’uncertain
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvexō2‘to shake or jolt violently’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvexātiō3‘shaking or similar violent movement’
  4. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400vexacion3
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500vexacioun3‘physical suffering’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1535vexation3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin vexo
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin vexatio
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English vexation
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1535, Myles Coverdale: “Thus I haue conſidered all the thinges that come…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weǵʰ-Wiktionary, Latin vexo‘to bring’uncertain
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvexōWiktionary, Latin vexatio‘to shake or jolt violently’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvexātiōWiktionary, English vexation‘shaking or similar violent movement’
  4. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400vexacionWiktionary, English vexation
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500vexaciounWiktionary, English vexation‘physical suffering’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1535vexationWiktionary, English vexation. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1535, Myles Coverdale: “Thus I haue conſidered all the thinges that come…”

The story

Vexātus is the perfect passive participle of vexō (‘to shake or jolt violently; to annoy, harass; to persecute; to trouble violently’), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weǵʰ-.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *weǵʰ- ‘to bring’

way, always, via, vehicle, wave, reveal, halfway, weigh, wee, vector, vogue, wagon, wedge, vein, veil, headway, wag, eunuch, venous, wonky, wey, waw, wain, vexed, vena, velar, invective, 38 more

through Latin vexō ‘to shake or jolt violently’

vex, 2 more

Today it means

noun The action of vexing, annoying, or irritating someone or something; (countable) an instance of this.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “vexation”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin vexo, Latin vexatio. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *weǵʰ- / vexation

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