Importune

Importune is a verb that means to annoy or harass someone. The Latin word importunus (im poor TWO noose) means ‘inconvenient.’ In the early 16th century, this word gave birth to our word of the day. Here’s an example: I didn’t mean to importune the mayor by bombarding him with silly questions. But I felt it was vital that we get his opinion on Sunday’s game. And if that meant harassing him repeatedly with queries, so be it.