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Today it means

inflict

to cause something unpleasant

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Where does the word "inflict" come from? It comes from Latin infligere, and was adopted directly into English (1560s).

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Where does the word "inflict" come from? It comes from Latin infligere, and was adopted directly into English (1560s).

Inflict’s story begins in Latin: infligere meant “to strike on.” 'in-' plus 'fligere', to strike. It reached English by 1560s as inflict. 'self-inflicted' dates from the 1700s. Today, inflict means to cause something unpleasant.

  1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient infligere "to strike on", 'in-' plus 'fligere', to strike.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1560s inflict "to strike", 'self-inflicted' dates from the 1700s.

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