infligo

Pronunciation

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

Forms

īnflīgō (present infinitive īnflīgere, perfect active īnflīxī, supine īnflīctum); third conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin in- + flīgō (“to strike”).^[2][1] De Vaan reconstructs ⟨flīgō⟩ as Proto-Italic ⟨*flīg-⟩, Proto-Indo-European *bʰleyǵ-e/o- (“to hit, crush”), comparing Ancient Greek φλίβω (phlī́bō, “to crush”) and Latvian ⟨bliêzt⟩ “to beat”.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is Cicero, of inflicting wounds, and Lewis & Short cite his alicui secūrim īnflīgere “to strike someone with an axe”.^[2][4] Köbler dates Cicero 81–43 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to strike or dash something against, as in Virgil and Ovid, and to inflict wounds, as in Cicero.^[2][4][6]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it means to inflict, impose, strike against.^[7] English inflict (1560s) is from its participle īnflīctus.^[8]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it.^[2][5]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of dashing against.^[2][5]
• 1560s – English inflict is recorded.^[8]

Meanings

Verb

1. To strike or dash against.^[2][4]
2. To inflict (wounds).^[2][7]

Word family

• īnflīctiō
• inflictus

Related words

• flīgō
• afflīgō
• conflīgō
• English inflict

Usage notes

Lewis & Short give incutere and illīdere as synonyms.^[4]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com