Harassment
Offensive behavior that demeans, humiliates, or intimidates a person.
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Harassment encompasses a wide range of offensive behaviors that demean, humiliate, and intimidate a person. In a legal sense, these behaviors are disturbing, upsetting, or threatening, and may nullify or impair a person's rights. Harassment is a specific form of discrimination, often repetitive, and can constitute a tactic of coercive control.
Lore & Background
The word harassment derives from the English verb harass plus the suffix -ment, attested from 1753. The verb harass entered English from French, where it was recorded in the late 16th century meaning torment, annoyance, bother, trouble, and by 1609 also referred to exhaustion. The French verb harasser is not found in a 1527 translation of Thucydides' History; its earliest known use is from the late 16th century in French military contexts, where it meant to exhaust the enemy by repeated raids. A 1562 military chant describes a gaunt horse as 'harassée' (overtired). The most commonly hypothesized roots are Old French harer or Old Frankish hara, not Old Scandinavian hârr (grey horsehair).
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Harassment?
Harassment refers to a broad category of offensive actions directed at a person that demean, humiliate, or intimidate them. In legal terms, these behaviors are considered disturbing or threatening and can effectively strip or impair a person's rights.
Where does the term Harassment come from?
The word traces back to the late 16th-century French verb "harasser," which carried meanings like torment, annoyance, or trouble. The related noun "harasser" also emerged around that same period, rooted in French military usage rather than any classical Greek translation.
What are Harassment's defining traits?
Harassment is typically repetitive in nature and functions as a specific subtype of discrimination. It can also operate as a tactic of coercive control, meaning it is used to dominate or restrict another person's autonomy over time.
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