Etymograph

English

affliction

Affliction comes from Latin afflīctiō ‘pain, suffering, torment’, from afflīgō ‘strike, beat’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleyǵ-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰleyǵ-1‘to strike’reconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEflīgō2‘strike’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEafflīgō2‘strike, beat’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEflīctus2past participle of afflīgō
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEafflīctō2‘to damage, harass, torment’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEafflīctiō2‘pain, suffering, torment’
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400afliction2
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500affliction2
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1781affliction2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin fligo
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English affliction
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1781, Mostyn John Armstrong, Taverham: “BEAT on, proud billows; Boreas blow; / Swell, curled…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰleyǵ-Wiktionary, Latin fligo‘to strike’reconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEflīgōWiktionary, English affliction‘strike’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEafflīgōWiktionary, English affliction‘strike, beat’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEflīctusWiktionary, English afflictionpast participle of afflīgō
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEafflīctōWiktionary, English affliction‘to damage, harass, torment’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEafflīctiōWiktionary, English affliction‘pain, suffering, torment’
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400aflictionWiktionary, English affliction
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500afflictionWiktionary, English affliction
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1781afflictionWiktionary, English affliction. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1781, Mostyn John Armstrong, Taverham: “BEAT on, proud billows; Boreas blow; / Swell, curled…”

Equivalent to afflict + -ion

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

…

Latin afflīgō ‘strike, beat’

Latin flīctus

Latin afflīctō ‘to damage, harass, torment’

Middle English afflicten

English afflict

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

noun A state of pain, suffering, distress or agony.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “affliction”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin fligo. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

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

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