Worrit

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To harass someone persistently or fret over a matter in a Scots or dialect manner ; to bite, shake or tear at something again and again with the teeth
2. To nag at or trouble a person or thing without letting up ; to seize something in the mouth and tug at it repeatedly, as a dog does
3. Used in Scottish dialect to describe persistent pestering or anxious fretting ; describing an animal gnawing or tearing at prey or an object with its teeth

Etymology: "Worrit" is a dialectal alteration of "worry," and it appeared in the 19th century. The change is a regional reshaping of the familiar verb rather than a separate word with its own history: speakers altered the pronunciation and spelling of "worry" into a form with a final "it" sound, and the new form took on the meaning of pestering someone over and over. That shift from the everyday sense of "worry" (to feel anxious) to the sense of nagging or harassing another person is what gives "worrit" its character. The verb carries the restless, repeated pressure of a dog that will not let go of a sock, which is why the dialect form survived in speech more than in formal writing.