Hagrid

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. To subject someone to persistent bullying, intimidation, or cruel treatment
2. To torment or badger someone repeatedly with hostile actions or words
3. To persistently pester or harass a person through intimidating or abusive behavior

Etymology: "Hagrid" is the past participle of "hagride", a verb meaning to oppress or torment someone, especially at night, as if by a nightmare. The verb is built from "hag" and "ride". The "hag" element refers to a malevolent female spirit, and the older belief behind the verb is that such a creature rode on the chest of a sleeper, producing the suffocating dream we now call a nightmare. The verb "hagride" is formed by combining the two words directly, so its sense is a literal one: to be ridden by a hag. The past participle "hagrid" follows the same pattern, describing someone who has been harried or worn out in this way. The word is an older formation, and its meaning has stayed close to that original image of an unwelcome rider in the night.