hector - a podcast by Merriam-Webster

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 25, 2021 is: hector \HEK-ter\ verb
Hector means "to criticize or question in a threatening manner."

// The mediator asked the unruly members of the audience to cease hectoring the speaker.

[See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hector#h2)

Examples:

"… a sport hectored by scandal and dogged by unanswerable questions." — Bob Ford, The Philadelphia Inquirer, 28 July 2019

Did you know?

In Homer's Iliad, [Hector](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hector), the eldest son of King Priam of Troy, was a model soldier, son, father, and friend, the champion of the Trojan army until he was killed by the Greek hero Achilles. So how did his name become a verb meaning "to intimidate or harrass"? That use was likely influenced by gangs of rowdy street toughs who roamed London in the 17th century and called themselves "Hectors." They may have thought themselves gallant young blades, but to the general populace they were swaggering bullies who intimidated passersby and vandalized property.

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