injection

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɪnˈdʒek.ʃən/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Old French iniection (14th century) or directly borrowed from Latin iniectiō (“a throwing in”),^[2][3][4] a noun from the past participle of inicere, to throw in or on (see inject),^[2][4] from in-, in, and iacere, to throw.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The forcing of a fluid into the body, as with a syringe: the early 15th century in Etymonline;^[2] 1541 in the OED.^[5]

Semantic evolution

The general sense, a throwing in, is from 1611, now rare.^[5] Scientific uses, such as injecting particles into a beam, are from 1945,^[5] placing a spacecraft into orbit from 1959,^[5] and the figurative sense, an injection of money or enthusiasm, from 1968.^[5] Fuel injection in engines is a technical use.^[6]

Timeline

• early 15th century – injecting fluid into the body.^[2]
• 1541 – first OED quotation.^[5]
• 1959 – injection into orbit.^[5]
• 1968 – figurative use.^[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The act of injecting a drug or other fluid into the body, as with a syringe.
2. A dose of medicine given in this way.
3. The forcing of fluid under pressure into something, such as fuel into an engine.
4. An addition of something needed: an injection of cash.

Word family

• microinjection
• postinjection
• reinjection
• superinjection
• injective
• injection molding

Related words

• inject
• reject
• project
• eject
• jet

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins