Meaning

verb annoy continually or chronically

verb make a pillaging or destructive raid on (a place), as in wartimes

originFrom Middle English herien, harien, from Old English herġian, from Proto-West Germanic *harjōn, from Proto-Germanic *harjōną, from *harjaz (“army”), from Proto-Indo-European *koryos, from *ker- (“army”). Cognates See also Walloon hairyî, Old French hairier, harier; also Saterland Frisian ferheerje, German verheeren (“to harry, devastate”), Swedish härja (“ravage, harry”); also Old English here,…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0