Infestation

How to spell infestation

11 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce infestation

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does infestation mean?

1. nounThe state of being overrun by pests, parasites, or something unwanted in large numbers.

Infestation in a sentence

• The landlord paid for a full treatment after the tenants reported a rat infestation.

• A termite infestation can quietly damage the timber frame of a house for years.

Where does infestation come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb infestare, which meant 'to attack, trouble, or assail', built on the adjective infestus, meaning 'hostile' or 'dangerous'. That adjective itself may join the prefix in- with a root tied to striking or threatening, so the underlying picture is of something aggressively hostile. From infestare the Latin formed a noun of action, and Old French passed the verb 'infester' into English in the late Middle Ages. By the 1500s English speakers were using 'infest' specifically for the way troublesome creatures swarm and overrun a place, and the noun 'infestation' followed for the state of being overrun. The spelling keeps that clean Latin chain, in plus fest plus the familiar -ation ending, which is worth remembering because the trap is hearing the unstressed middle and second-guessing the vowels.

How the word is built

• in- (intensive)
• fest (from Latin festus, related to infestus: hostile)
• -ation (noun of action)