afflict

English

Etymology

From Old French aflicter, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin afflictare (“to damage, harass, torment”), frequentative of affligere (“to dash down, overthrow”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əˈflɪkt/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪkt
• Hyphenation: af‧flict

Verb

afflict (third-person singular simple present afflicts, present participle afflicting, simple past and past participle afflicted)

1. (transitive) To cause (someone) pain, suffering or distress.
   • 1611, Authorized King James translation of Exodus 1:11–12:

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

   • 1611, Authorized King James translation of Leviticus 23:27:

     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 shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

2. (obsolete) To strike or cast down; to overthrow.
   • (Can we date this quote by John Milton and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     reassembling our afflicted powers

3. (obsolete) To make low or humble.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Edmund Spenser to this entry?)

   • (Can we date this quote by Jeremy Taylor and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     Men are apt to prefer a prosperous error before an afflicted truth.

Related terms

• affliction
• afflictive

Translations

To cause pain to

• Bulgarian: измъчвам (bg) (izmǎčvam), причинявам болка (pričinjavam bolka)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 使痛苦

• Czech: postihnout
• Dutch: bedroeven (nl), kwellen (nl), treffen (nl), teisteren (nl)
• Esperanto: aflikti, malĝojigi, ĉagreni (eo)
• Finnish: vaivata (fi), koetella (fi)
• German: bekümmern (de)
• Hebrew: הכאיב (hikh'ív), ייסר (yisér), אמלל (he) (imlél)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Ido: afliktar (io)
• Interlingue:
• Italian: affliggere (it)
• Maori: whakawhiu, makimaki (of an illness), ngau
• Persian: آزردن (fa) (âzordan), دچار کردن (dočâr kardan), دامنگیر کردن (dâman-gir kardan)
• Portuguese: afligir (pt)
• Russian: причиня́ть боль (pričinjátʹ bolʹ), мучать (ru) impf (mučatʹ)
• Spanish: afligir (es)
• Ukrainian: дошкуляти impf (doškuljaty), причиняти impf (pryčynjaty) (rare)

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Scots

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əˈflɪk(t)/

Verb

afflict (third-person singular simple present afflicts, present participle afflictin, simple past afflictit, past participle afflictit)

1. to afflict

References

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