Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Nuisance

Nuisance , noun

[Old English noisance, Old French noisance, nuisance, from Latin nocentia guilt, from nocere to hurt, harm; akin to necare to kill. Cf Necromancy, Nocent, Noxious, Pernicious.]

That which annoys or gives trouble and vexation; that which is offensive or noxious.

Nuisances are public when they annoy citizens in general; private, when they affect individuals only.