1. To make heavy or heavier; to add to; to increase.
2. To make worse, or more severe; to render less tolerable or less excusable; to make more offensive; to enhance; to intensify.
3. To give coloring to in description; to exaggerate.
4. To exasperate; to provoke; to irritate.

To cause annoyance in; disturb, esp. by minor irritations: SYN. rag, get to, bother, get at, irritate, rile, nark, nettle, gravel, vex, devil.

To weaken mentally or morally.

ETYM Old Eng. irken to tire, become tired; cf. Swed. yrka to urge, enforce, press, or German ekel disgust, Mid. High Germ. erklich disgusting; perh. akin to Latin urgere to urge, Eng. urge.
To bother or annoy.