affligo

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [afˈfliː.ɡoː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [afˈfliː.ɡo]^[1]

Forms

afflīgō (present infinitive afflīgere, perfect active afflīxī, supine afflīctum); third conjugation^[1] It is also spelled adflīgō.^[2]

Etymology

It is from ad- and flīgō “to strike”.^[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Cicero, of striking down and ruining.^[2] Köbler dates Cicero 81–43 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant to dash one thing against another, as in Propertius, and in Cicero to strike down, to ruin, crush, to vex, as disease or famine does, and to distress, afflict.^[2] In Columella it meant to damage, weaken.^[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to afflict, punish, chastise, mortify.^[5] It was borrowed into Italian affliggere and Spanish afligir, and its frequentative afflīctāre gave English afflict through Old French in the late 14th century.^[1][3]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of striking down and afflicting.^[2][4]
• 57/46–12 BC – Propertius uses it of dashing against.^[2][4]
• late 14th century – English afflict is recorded.^[3]

Meanings

Verb

1. To dash against.^[2]
2. To strike down.^[2]
3. To damage, weaken.^[2]
4. To ruin, crush.^[2]
5. To vex; to distress, afflict.^[2]

Word family

• afflīctiō
• afflīctō
• afflīctor
• afflictrix
• afflīctus

Related words

• cōnflīgō
• efflīgō
• flīgō
• īnflīgō
• prōflīgō
• English afflict

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson