Forms: 3–4 anue, -uie, -uye, 4 anye, anuyȝe, 4–7 anoie, -oye, annoie, -oye, 5– annoy. Also aphetized to NOY, and written after Fr. ENNOY. [a. OFr. anuie-r, enuier, anoier, enoier, cogn. w. Pr. enuiar, enoiar, Sp. enojar, It. annoiare, pointing to a common Romanic inodiāre (found in OIt.), f. inodio: see prec. For spelling with double n, see AN- pref. 6.]
† 1. intr. To be hateful, odious, offensive, or a cause of trouble (to, or with dat.) Obs.
c. 1340. Ayenb., 162. To huam þet þe wordle anoyþ uor þe perils … huerof hi is al uol.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Boeth., I. v. Ne þe forsweryng ne þe fraude … ne a-noyeþ not to schrewes. Ibid. (c. 1386), Melib., 31. As Motthes in the shepes flees anoyeth [v.r. annoyeþ, -oyen] to the clothes … so anoyeth [v.r. annoieþ, anoyþe] sorwe to the herte.
† 2. trans. To be hateful or distasteful to; to tronble, irk, bore, weary. (= Fr. ennuyer.) In passive const. w. of. Obs.
a. 1300. Havelok, 1734. Þat is þe storie for to lenge, It wolde anuye þis fayre genge.
a. 1300. Leg. Rood (1871), 20. Of is lif he was anuyd [v.r. anuyȝed].
a. 1400. Rel. Pieces fr. Thornton MS., 17. And sythen when þou has þam at þi will, þan erte þou of thaa thynges annoyede.
1534. Ld. Berners, Gold. Bk. M. Aurel. (1546), K ij. Ye all are anoyed and wery of all goodnes.
† b. impers. It annoys me … it irks me. Obs. rare.
1382. Wyclif, 2 Cor. i. 8. It anoyȝede [1388 anoiede] vs, ȝhe, for to lyue. Ibid. (1388), Numb. xxi. 4. It bigan to anoye the puple of the weie and trauel.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Chan. Yem. Prol. & T., 483. No thyng anoyeth me To lene a man a noble or two or thre.
3. trans. To affect (a person) in a way that disturbs his equanimity, hurts his susceptibilities, or causes slight irritation. (Refers to the feeling produced, rather than to the action producing it; hence commonest in the passive To be annoyed: to be ruffled in mind, troubled, vexed.)
1250. Lay., 2259. Corineus nas anued [1205 un-eðe]; And wo on his mode.
1297. R. Glouc., 487. King Philip was anuyd … That ther nas of him word non, bote al of Richard the king.
c. 1315. Shoreham, 36. Ȝer he the schel anoye aȝt, Hyt wyle of-thenche hym sore.
c. 1450. Lonelich, Grail, I. 324. Ȝif I wiste my lord not forto anoye.
1596. Shaks., Tam. Shrew, I. i. 189. She will not be annoy’d with suters.
1616. R. C., Times’ Whistle, vii. 3156. Soe overioyde That through excesse therof he is annoide.
1743. Tindal, Rapin’s Hist., VII. XVII. 104. He did not want good will to annoy Elizabeth.
1855. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., III. 532. He felt some … vindictive pleasure in annoying those who had cruelly annoyed him.
† b. To be annoyed after or for: to worry about, be anxious for. Obs. rare.
a. 1400. Rel. Pieces fr. Thornton MS., 17. Þou erte anoyede eftire many thynges, and turment if þou hare thaym noghte.
1616. R. C., Times’ Whistle, vii. 2949. The thing, for which he erst was soe anoyde.
† c. refl. To vex oneself, take offence, grieve. Obs.
c. 1300. K. Alis., 876. Nicolas him anoyed: With wraththe to Alisaundre he saide.
† d. intr. (refl. pron. omitted.) Obs.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Boeth., II. iv. 41. If þat þou anoie nat or forþenke nat of al þi fortune.
a. 1555. Latimer, Serm. & Rem., 332. To profit with learning, with ignorance not to annoy.
4. By transf. to the objective means: To molest, injure, hurt, harm; now esp. in military use.
c. 1380. Sir Ferumb., 364. Wyþ my werres y haue a-nyed muche of cristendome.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, XV. 6790. Theseus … the troiens anoyet.
1593. Shaks., 2 Hen. VI., III. i. 67. Thornes that would annoy our Foot.
1607. Topsell, Four-footed Beasts, 530. Infested and annoyed with Lice.
1667. Milton, P. L., VI. 369. Nor stood unmindful Abdiel to annoy The atheist crew.
1759. Martin, Nat. Hist., I. 41. A gallant Saxon, who annoyed this Coast.
1794. Nelson, in Nicolas, Disp. (1845), I. 368. The works on the hills would annoy the Town.
b. absol.
1382. Wyclif, Is. xi. 9. Thei shuln not noȝen [1388 anoye] … in al myn hoeli mounteyn.
c. 1420. Pallad. on Husb., II. 163. Yf Est or southeryn wyndes nought enaye.
1764. Goldsm., Trav., 338. But foster’d e’en by Freedom, ills annoy.
1789–94. W. Blake, School Boy, 18. How can a child, when fears annoy, But droop his tender wing?
† 5. To affect (a thing) in a way that interferes with its proper action; to interfere with detrimentally, affect injuriously. Obs.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Man of L. T., 394. Who badde foure spiritz of tempest … Anoyen [v.r. annoyeþ] neyther londe, see, ne tree?
c. 1420. Pallad. on Husb., IV. 131. The molde, and other suche as diggeth lowe, Anoie hem not.
1596. Spenser, F. Q., II. vii. 15. Mucky filth his [the stream’s] braunching armes annoyes.
1642. T. Taylor, God’s Judgem., I. I. xv. 42. The poysoned stinke and savour whereof so annoyed his stomacke that he never left vomiting.
1708. Procl., in Lond. Gaz., mmmmcccclii/2. So as to Annoy the Haling of Sayns in the usual Baiting Places.
1721. J. Perry, Daggenh. Breach, 116. To annoy or choak the Harbour by any Drift.
