Word origins - 2ed. J. Ayto. 2005.
Noisome — Noi some, a. [For noysome, fr. noy for annoy. See {Annoy}.] 1. Noxious to health; hurtful; mischievous; unwholesome; insalubrious; destructive; as, noisome effluvia. Noisome pestilence. Ps. xci. 3. [1913 Webster] 2. Offensive to the smell or… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
noisome — index deleterious, detrimental, fatal, harmful, harsh, heinous, insalubrious, malignant, noxious … Law dictionary
noisome — (adj.) late 14c., harmful, noxious, from noye harm, misfortune, shortened form of anoi annoyance (from O.Fr. anoier, see ANNOY (Cf. annoy)) + SOME (Cf. some). Meaning bad smelling first recorded 1570s. Related: Noisomeness … Etymology dictionary
noisome — fetid, stinking, *malodorous, putrid, rank, rancid, fusty, musty Analogous words: foul, nasty, squalid, filthy, *dirty: noxious, baneful, *pernicious, deleterious: loathsome, *offensive, revolting Antonyms: balmy Contrasted words: *odorous,… … New Dictionary of Synonyms
noisome — means ‘harmful, noxious’ and has nothing to do with the word noise. It comes from a Middle English word nay, related to annoy … Modern English usage
noisome — [adj] immoral, bad, offensive baneful, dangerous, deadly, deleterious, disgusting, fetid, foul, harmful, horrid, hurtful, injurious, insalubrious, insalutary, loathsome, malodorous, mephitic, mischievous, nauseating, noxious, pernicious,… … New thesaurus
noisome — ► ADJECTIVE literary 1) having an extremely offensive smell. 2) disagreeable; unpleasant. ORIGIN from obsolete noy (shortened form of ANNOY(Cf. ↑annoying)) … English terms dictionary
noisome — [noi′səm] adj. [ME noyesum < noy, aphetic < anoy < OFr anoi: see ANNOY & SOME1] 1. injurious to health; harmful 2. having a bad odor; foul smelling noisomely adv. noisomeness n … English World dictionary
noisome — [[t]nɔ͟ɪsəm[/t]] ADJ GRADED: usu ADJ n If you describe something or someone as noisome, you mean that you find them extremely unpleasant. [LITERARY] Noisome vapours arise from the mud left in the docks... His noisome reputation for corruption had … English dictionary
noisome — adjective Etymology: Middle English noysome, from noy annoyance, alteration of anoi, from Anglo French anui, from anuier to harass, annoy more at annoy Date: 14th century 1. noxious, harmful 2. a. offensive to the senses and especially to the… … New Collegiate Dictionary
Noisome — Offensive to the senses and especially disgusting, offensive, or harmful to the sense of smell. For example, the smell of a chemical such as formaldehyde can be noisome. Noisome comes from the Middle English noy meaning annoyance, and enui which… … Medical dictionary
