perturbation

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C1 — Advanced

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun an unhappy and worried mental state
  2. noun (physics) a secondary influence on a system that causes it to deviate slightly
  3. noun activity that is a malfunction, intrusion, or interruption

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French perturbation, from Old French perturbacion, from Latin perturbatio.

In classic literature

Synonyms

disturbance, upset

A single word — an entire dictionary opens.

Type a word, a sentence, a book title, or a link to an English article. WordNet and the Classics answer.

Try

A library of classics · a vault of words · instant etymology & meaning

Continue reading