Where does “inflict” come from?

Inflict comes from Latin inflictus, the past participle of infligo, meaning to strike against, from in- and -fligere, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning to strike or drive.

inflict (English): To thrust upon; to impose

Definitions

  1. To thrust upon; to impose

Ancestry of “inflict”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latininflictusinflicted
2LatininfligoI knock or strike against; I inflict or impose
3Latinīn-un-, non-, not
4Latinînin, at, on, upon, from (space)
5Latinenlookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ
6Proto-Italicenin
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁énin

Words derived from “inflict”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁én →Every word from Latin īn- →Every word from Proto-Italic en →
inflict — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer