Injure
/ˈɪn.dʒər/noun
To cause physical harm or damage to someone or something.
Did you know?The word ultimately comes from Latin legal language tied to *in-* plus *ius* (“law, right”), so its deepest root is about being made wrong under the law before it meant bodily harm.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
iniuriāre
“to do wrong or insult”
Latin
Latin
iniuria
“injustice, insult, wrong, injury”
Old French
Old French
enjurier
“to wrong, insult, harm”
Middle English
English
injuren
“to do wrong to; to harm”
Modern English
English
injure
“to cause bodily harm or damage”