FromMiddle Englishafflicten (attested in past participleafflicte), fromLatinafflictāre(“to damage, harass, torment”), frequentative ofaffligere(“to dash down, overthrow”).

• IPA^(key):/əˈflɪkt/

• Audio(Southern England):

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• Rhymes:-ɪkt
• Hyphenation:af‧flict

afflict (third-person singular simple presentafflicts,present participleafflicting,simple past and past participleafflicted)

1. (transitive) To cause (someone)pain,suffering ordistress.

   Synonyms:torment,torture;see alsoThesaurus:hurt,Thesaurus:vex

   • 1611,The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London:[…]Robert Barker, […],→OCLC,Exodus1:11–12:

     Therefore they did set over them taskmasters toafflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more theyafflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel.

   • 1611,The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London:[…]Robert Barker, […],→OCLC,Leviticus23:27:

     Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shallafflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto theLord.

   • 1930,Norman Lindsay,Redheap, Sydney, N.S.W.:Ure Smith, published1965,→OCLC, page41:

     [T]he wench wasafflicted with religion and unapproachably austere.

2. (obsolete) To strike or cast down; to overthrow; to result.
   • 1667,John Milton, “Book I”, inParadise Lost. […], London:[…] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […];[a]nd by Robert Boulter […];[a]nd Matthias Walker, […],→OCLC; republished asParadise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […],1873,→OCLC:

     reassembling ourafflicted powers

3. (obsolete) To make low or humble.
   • 1590,Edmund Spenser, “Book I”, inThe Faerie Queene. […], London:[…] [John Wolfe] forWilliam Ponsonbie,→OCLC:

     The Argument of mineafflicted stile

   • 1651,Jer[emy] Taylor,The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living. […], 2nd edition, London:[…] Francis Ashe […],→OCLC:

     Men are apt to prefer a prosperous error before anafflicted truth.

• affliction
• afflictive

• IPA^(key):/əˈflɪk(t)/

afflict (third-person singular simple presentafflicts,present participleafflictin,simple pastafflictit,past participleafflictit)

1. toafflict

• Eagle, Andy, ed. (2016)The Online Scots Dictionary, Scots Online.