# ert

> English word · Verb · frequency rank #51,688

## Definitions
1. To incite; urge on; encourage.
2. To irritate; provoke.
3. To be eager; hurry.
4. To make as if to strike; argue (with).
5. To strive after; try to obtain.
6. To strive onward and upward.

## Etymology
From Middle English erten, ertin, from Old Norse erta (“to provoke, incite, tease”), from Proto-Germanic *artijaną (“to excite, tease”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂erd- (“sharp point, stinger”). Cognate with Icelandic erta (“to irritate”), Norwegian erta (“to taunt”), Swedish ärta (“to tease, jibe”), Old Irish aird (“point, ord, end point”), Ancient Greek ἄρδις (árdis, “arrowhead”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/ert