Etymology Explorer › English

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-—
4Latinîn—
5Latinenlookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ
6Proto-Italicenin
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁énin

Words derived from “inflict”

  • inflicter
  • inflictor
  • inflicteth
  • inflictest
  • inflictive
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁én →