INFLICT', verb transitive [Latin inflictus, infligo; in and fligo, to strike; Eng. to flog.] To lay on; to throw or send on; to apply; as, to inflict pain or disgrace; to inflict punishment on an offender. To inflict an office, condition, knowledge, tenderness, etc. on one, as used by Chesterfield, is not an authorized use of the word.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI