inflict

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English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɪnˈflɪkt/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɪkt

Verb

inflict (third-person singular simple present inflicts, present participle inflicting, simple past and past participle inflicted)

  1. To thrust upon; to impose.
    They inflicted terrible pains on her to obtain a confession.
    • 1937, Josephus, Ralph Marcus, transl., chapter VIII, in Josephus: With an English Translation (Loeb Classical Library), volume VI (Jewish Antiquities), London: William Heinemann Ltd.; Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, published 1958, →OCLC, book IX, paragraph 1, page 87:
      Now Azaēlos, the king of Syria, made war on the Israelites and their king Jehu, and ravaged the eastern parts of the country across the Jordan [] spreading fire everywhere and plundering everything and inflicting violence on all who fell into his hands.
    • 2011 June 15, Tony White, Working with Suicidal Individuals: A Guide to Providing Understanding, Assessment and Support, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, →ISBN, page 87:
      This allowed me to continue inflicting this injury on myself long after I otherwise could have beared, I think.

Translations