Borrowed fromLatinīnflīctus, past participle ofīnflīgō, fromin- +flīgō(“strike”).
inflict (third-person singular simple presentinflicts,present participleinflicting,simple past and past participleinflicted)
- Tothrust upon; toimpose.
Theyinflicted terrible pains on her to obtain a confession.
The enemy's artilleryinflicted heavy casualties on the enemy forces.
1937,Josephus, Ralph Marcus, transl., chapter VIII, inJosephus: With an English Translation (Loeb Classical Library), volume VI (Jewish Antiquities), London:William Heinemann Ltd.; Cambridge, Mass.:Harvard University Press, published1958,→OCLC, book IX, paragraph 1,page87:NowAzaēlos, the king of Syria, made war on the Israelites and their kingJehu, and ravaged the eastern parts of the country across the Jordan[…] spreading fire everywhere and plundering everything andinflicting violence on all who fell into his hands.
2011 June 15, Tony White,Working with Suicidal Individuals: A Guide to Providing Understanding, Assessment and Support[1], Jessica Kingsley Publishers,→ISBN, page87:This allowed me to continueinflicting this injury on myself long after I otherwise could have beared[sic], I think.
