Obstreperus

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Loud, boisterous, and stubbornly resistant to control or restraint
2. Characterized by loud noise and a refusal to obey or be managed peacefully
3. Making a loud disturbance and refusing to cooperate or be subdued

Etymology: Its Latin ancestor, "obstrepere," meant simply "to make a noise against" someone, as in to clamor at or drown out. The prefix "ob-" means "against," and the root "strepere" means "to make a noise," the same root behind "strepitus," a din. The adjective "obstreperus" described something that was loud and clamorous, with no suggestion of misbehaviour. English kept the sense of noise for a while, but the word gradually moved from sound to conduct. A noisy crowd or a shouting argument became a person who refuses to be quiet or controlled, someone unruly, boisterous, or defiant. The meaning shifted from the racket itself to the person making it resist being silenced.