Desturber

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who disturbs others by interrupting their peace, rest, or activity
2. Someone who unsettles or disrupts a calm situation or gathering
3. One who troubles, disquiets, or interferes with the quiet or order of something

Etymology: "Desturber" is an obsolete English word, recorded in the 1500s, meaning someone who disturbs or hinders. It is formed in English from "disturb" plus the agent suffix "-er", which in this case reflects the Old French form of the verb rather than a Latin noun. The verb "disturb" came into English in the late 1300s from Old French "destourber", itself from Latin "disturbare", meaning "to throw into confusion" and built from "dis-" (apart) and "turbare" (to agitate, from "turba", a crowd or tumult). The "-er" ending is the ordinary English agent suffix, so the form needed no special coinage. Compare "disturber", the spelling that became standard, which has replaced "desturber" in modern use. The older spelling survives mainly in historical texts and dictionaries that record early English usage.