injury
/ˈɪndʒəri/
noun
Origin
Latin
iniuria — wrong, injustice, insult
Overview
Meaning Now
- Physical harm or damage to a living creature.
- An instance of being harmed or wronged, especially legally or reputationally.
Literal older meaning
Non-rightness or injustice
Language path
Latin → Old French → English
Earliest form
injurie
Earliest period
14th century
Journey
The term originates from the Roman legal concept of 'iniuria', which denoted an act committed against the law or justice, specifically an affront to a person's dignity or body. Over time, particularly in English, the term shifted from purely legal 'injustice' to include physical damage to the body.
Evolution
- Latin
iniuria
“injustice, wrong, damage”
- Old French
injurie
“insult, harm, injury”
- Middle English
injurie
“legal wrong, physical hurt”
Connections
Word parts
in-
prefix
not
jur-
root
law, right
-y
suffix
noun-forming suffix
Related across languages
French
injure
insult, verbal abuse
Spanish
injuria
insult, offense
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Related to injury
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.