entry
afflict
/əˈflɪkt/Cause someone pain, distress, or severe suffering
From Latin ad- (to) + Latin flīgō / flīgere (to strike).
from PIE root *bhlig- "to strike" (source also of Greek phlibein "to press, crush," Czech blizna "scar," Welsh blif...
from Latin afflīctō (“to damage, harass, torment”)
from Old French aflicter
from Middle English afflicten (attested in past participle afflicte)
from Latin afflictare "to damage, harass, torment," frequentative of affligere (past participle afflictus ) "to dash...
+1 more sourceWord Ancestry
from PIE root *bhlig- "to strike" (source also of Greek phlibein "to press, crush," Czech blizna "scar," Welsh blif...
from Latin afflīctō (“to damage, harass, torment”)
from Old French aflicter
from Middle English afflicten (attested in past participle afflicte)
from Latin afflictare "to damage, harass, torment," frequentative of affligere (past participle afflictus ) "to dash...
+1 more sourcePicture a Roman blow landing squarely on a shield: that is the physical image hiding inside Latin flīgō, “to strike.” Add ad-, “onto” or “against,” and Latin afflīgō meant something like “strike down”; its frequentative form afflīctō broadened the attack into damaging, harassing, and tormenting. By the late 14th century, Old French aflicter and Middle English afflicten were already using the word for casting someone down, while English later shifted the blow inward—to illness, grief, poverty, or anxiety. Its closest family includes conflict, literally a “striking together,” and inflict, a “striking onto” someone; even profligate may belong to the same old striking family through a more figurative path. When something afflicts you, English is still describing suffering as a blow—only now the attacker may be arthritis, sorrow, or a sleepless night rather than a Roman weapon.
The Story
Picture a Roman blow landing squarely on a shield: that is the physical image hiding inside Latin flīgō, “to strike.” Add ad-, “onto” or “against,” and Latin afflīgō meant something like “strike down”; its frequentative form afflīctō broadened the attack into damaging, harassing, and tormenting. By the late 14th century, Old French aflicter and Middle English afflicten were already using the word for casting someone down, while English later shifted the blow inward—to illness, grief, poverty, or anxiety. Its closest family includes conflict, literally a “striking together,” and inflict, a “striking onto” someone; even profligate may belong to the same old striking family through a more figurative path. When something afflicts you, English is still describing suffering as a blow—only now the attacker may be arthritis, sorrow, or a sleepless night rather than a Roman weapon.
Kin & Kindred
From 'ad-'·to, toward, onto
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'flīgō / flīgere'·to strike, beat
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary