Etymograph

English

afflict

Afflict comes from Latin afflīctō ‘to damage, harass, torment’, from afflīgō ‘strike, beat’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleyǵ-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰleyǵ-‘to strike’reconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEflīgō‘strike’
  3. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEafflīgō‘strike, beat’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEflīctuspast participle of afflīgō
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEafflīctō‘to damage, harass, torment’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500afflicten
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1590afflict

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰleyǵ-‘to strike’reconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEflīgō‘strike’
  3. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEafflīgō‘strike, beat’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEflīctuspast participle of afflīgō
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEafflīctō‘to damage, harass, torment’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500afflicten
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1590afflict

Earliest quotation: 1590, Edmund Spenser, Book I: “The Argument of mine afflicted stile”.

The story

From Middle English afflicten (attested in past participle afflicte), from Latin afflīctō (‘to damage, harass, torment’), from ad- + flīctus, past participle of afflīgō (‘strike, beat’), from ad- + flīgō (‘strike’) (whence af-).

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *bʰleyǵ- ‘to strike’

blake, blank, bleach, bleak, blanc, 6 more

through Latin flīgō ‘strike’

profligate, profligacy, infliction, 2 more

through Latin flīctus

conflict, inflict, 2 more

Today it means

verb To cause (someone) pain, suffering or distress.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰleyǵ- / afflict

Shirt and support for this word