inflict

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To make someone suffer something unpleasant.

   They inflicted terrible pain on her to force a confession.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Inflict entered English in the mid-16th century from Latin infligere, “strike against.” It originally had much the same sense as afflict, which initially meant to deject or humiliate.

Borrowed from Latin īnflīctus, past participle of īnflīgō, from in- + flīgō (“strike”).

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