Afflict

Afflict
Afflict Af*flict", v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Afflicted}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Afflicting}.] [L. afflictus, p. p. of affigere to cast down, deject; ad + fligere to strike: cf. OF. aflit, afflict, p. p. Cf. {Flagellate}.] 1. To strike or cast down; to overthrow. [Obs.] ``Reassembling our afflicted powers.'' --Milton. [1913 Webster]

2. To inflict some great injury or hurt upon, causing continued pain or mental distress; to trouble grievously; to torment. [1913 Webster]

They did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. --Exod. i. 11. [1913 Webster]

That which was the worst now least afflicts me. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

3. To make low or humble. [Obs.] --Spenser. [1913 Webster]

Men are apt to prefer a prosperous error before an afflicted truth. --Jer. Taylor. [1913 Webster]

Syn: To trouble; grieve; pain; distress; harass; torment; wound; hurt. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • afflict — afflict, try, torment, torture, rack mean to inflict upon a person something which he finds hard to bear. Something or someone that causes pain, disability, suffering, acute annoyance, irritation, or embarrassment may be said to afflict a person… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Afflict — Af*flict , p. p. & a. [L. afflictus, p. p.] Afflicted. [Obs.] Becon. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • afflict — I verb agonize, anguish, assault, bruise, burden, chasten, discommode, discompose, disquiet, distress, grate, harm, hurt, impair, infect, inflict, irritate, mistreat, pain, plague, punish, rasp, sicken, smite, strike, victimize II index affront,… …   Law dictionary

  • afflict — (v.) late 14c., to cast down, from O.Fr. aflicter, from L. afflictare to damage, harass, torment, frequentative of affligere (pp. afflictus) to dash down, overthrow, from ad to (see AD (Cf. ad )) + fligere (pp. flictus) to strike, from PIE …   Etymology dictionary

  • afflict — [v] cause or become hurt agonize, annoy, beset, bother, burden, crucify, distress, grieve, harass, harrow, harry, irk, lacerate, martyr, oppress, pain, pester, plague, press, rack, smite, strike, torment, torture, trouble, try, vex, worry, wound; …   New thesaurus

  • afflict — ► VERB ▪ cause pain or suffering to. DERIVATIVES affliction noun. ORIGIN Latin afflictare knock about, harass , or affligere knock down, weaken …   English terms dictionary

  • afflict — [ə flikt′] vt. [< L afflictare, to injure, vex < afflictus, pp. of affligere, to strike down < ad , to + fligere: see INFLICT] 1. to cause pain or suffering to; distress very much 2. Obs. to overthrow …   English World dictionary

  • afflict — transitive verb Etymology: Middle English, from Latin afflictus, past participle of affligere to cast down, from ad + fligere to strike more at profligate Date: 14th century 1. obsolete a. humble b. overthrow …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • afflict — [14] When it originally entered English, afflict meant ‘overthrow’, reflecting its origins in Latin afflīgere ‘throw down’, a compound verb formed from the prefix ad ‘to’ and flīgere ‘strike’. English afflict comes either from the Latin past… …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

  • afflict — inflict, afflict Both words are concerned with the suffering of unpleasant circumstances, but they have different constructions. Inflict has the unpleasantness as object, and afflict has the victim: • He knew also that the greater part of the… …   Modern English usage

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