Infirm - Influence

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4. (Math.) A quantity greater than any assignable quantity of the same kind.
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☞ Mathematically considered, infinity is always a limit of a variable quantity, resulting from a particular supposition made upon the varying element which enters it. Davies & Peck (Math. Dict.).
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5. (Geom.) That part of a line, or of a plane, or of space, which is infinitely distant. In modern geometry, parallel lines or planes are sometimes treated as lines or planes meeting at infinity.
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Coloq. Circle at infinity , an imaginary circle at infinity, through which, in geometry of three dimensions, every sphere is imagined to pass. -- Coloq. Circular points at infinity . See under .
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Infirm (ĭnfẽrm), a. [L. infirmus: cf. F. infirme. See not, and , a.] 1. Not firm or sound; weak; feeble; as, an infirm body; an infirm constitution.
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A poor, infirm, weak, and despised old man. Shak.
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2. Weak of mind or will; irresolute; vacillating. “An infirm judgment.” Burke.
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Infirm of purpose! Shak.
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3. Not solid or stable; insecure; precarious.
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He who fixes on false principles treads or infirm ground. South.

Syn. -- Debilitated; sickly; feeble; decrepit; weak; enfeebled; irresolute; vacillating; imbecile.
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Infirm, v. t. [L. infirmare : cf. F. infirmer.] To weaken; to enfeeble. [Obs.] Sir W. Raleigh.
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Infirmarian (ĭnfẽrmārĭ�n), n. A person dwelling in, or having charge of, an infirmary, esp. in a monastic institution.
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Infirmary (ĭnfẽrmȧr�), n.; pl. Infirmaries (-rĭz). [Cf. OE. fermerie, OF. enfermerie, F. infirmerie, LL. infirmaria. See .] A hospital, or place where the infirm or sick are lodged and nursed gratuitously, or where out-patients are treated.
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Infirmative (?), a. [Cf. F. infirmatif.] Weakening; annulling, or tending to make void. [Obs.]
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Infirmatory (?), n. An infirmary. [Obs.]
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Infirmity (?), n.; pl. Infirmities (#). [L. infirmitas : cf. F. infirmite. See , a.] 1. The state of being infirm; feebleness; an imperfection or weakness; esp., an unsound, unhealthy, or debilitated state; a disease; a malady; as, infirmity of body or mind.
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'T is the infirmity of his age. Shak.
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2. A personal frailty or failing; foible; eccentricity; a weakness or defect.
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Will you be cured of your infirmity ? Shak.
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A friend should bear his friend's infirmities. Shak.
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The house has also its infirmities. Evelyn.

Syn. -- Debility; imbecility; weakness; feebleness; failing; foible; defect; disease; malady. See .
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Infirmly, adv. In an infirm manner.
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Infirmness, n. Infirmity; feebleness. Boyle.
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Infix (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Infixed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Infixing.] [L. infixus, p. p of infigere to infix; pref. in- in + figere to fix: cf. F. infixer. See .] 1. To set; to fasten or fix by piercing or thrusting in; as, to infix a sting, spear, or dart. Shak.
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The fatal dart a ready passage found,
And deep within her heart infixed the wound. Dryden.
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2. To implant or fix; to instill; to inculcate, as principles, thoughts, or instructions; as, to infix good principles in the mind, or ideas in the memory.
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Infix (?), n. 1. Something infixed. [R.] Welsford.
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2. (Grammar) An element that is inserted into the body of an elemt which it threby modifies, as a letter within a word.
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infix notation (?), n. (Computers) A notation for commands or instructions in which the operator is inserted between the terms on which it operates. Contrasted with prefix notation and postfix notation.

Inflame (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Inflamed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Inflaming.] [OE. enflamen, OF. enflamer, F. enflammer, L. inflammare, inflammatum; pref. in- in + flammare to flame, fr. flamma flame. See .] 1. To set on fire; to kindle; to cause to burn, flame, or glow.
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We should have made retreat
By light of the inflamed fleet. Chapman.
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2. Fig.: To kindle or intensify, as passion or appetite; to excite to an excessive or unnatural action or heat; as, to inflame desire.
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Though more, it seems,
Inflamed with lust than rage. Milton.
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But, O inflame and fire our hearts. Dryden.
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3. To provoke to anger or rage; to exasperate; to irritate; to incense; to enrage.
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It will inflame you; it will make you mad. Shak.
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4. (Med.) To put in a state of inflammation; to produce morbid heat, congestion, or swelling, of; as, to inflame the eyes by overwork.
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5. To exaggerate; to enlarge upon. [Obs.]
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A friend exaggerates a man's virtues, an enemy inflames his crimes. Addison.

Syn. -- To provoke; fire; kindle; irritate; exasperate; incense; enrage; anger; excite; arouse.
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Inflame, v. i. To grow morbidly hot, congested, or painful; to become angry or incensed. Wiseman.
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Inflamed (?), p. a. 1. Set on fire; enkindled; heated; congested; provoked; exasperated.
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2. (Her.) Represented as burning, or as adorned with tongues of flame.
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3. (Med.) Having an inflammation in; -- of tissues; as, an inflamed appendix.
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Inflamer (?n-flām?r), n. The person or thing that inflames. Addison.
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Inflammabillty (?), n. [Cf. F. inflammabilite.] Susceptibility of taking fire readily; the state or quality of being inflammable.
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Inflammable (?), a. [CF. F. inflammable.] 1. Capable of being easily set fire; easily enkindled; combustible; as, inflammable oils or spirits.
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2. Excitable; irritable; irascible; easily provoked; as, an inflammable temper.
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Coloq. Inflammable air , the old chemical name for hydrogen.
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Inflammableness, n. The quality or state of being inflammable; inflammability. Boyle.
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Inflammably (ĭnflămmȧbl�), adv. In an inflammable manner.
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Inflammation (ĭnflămmāshŭn), n. [L. inflammatio: cf. F. inflammation. See .] 1. The act of inflaming, kindling, or setting on fire; also, the state of being inflamed. “The inflammation of fat.” Wilkins.
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2. (Med.) A morbid condition of any part of the body, consisting in congestion of the blood vessels, with obstruction of the blood current, and growth of morbid tissue. It is manifested outwardly by redness and swelling, attended with tenderness, heat and pain. It may be caused by exposure to any number of injurious agents.
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3. Violent excitement; heat; passion; animosity; turbulence; as, an inflammation of the mind, of the body politic, or of parties. Hooker.
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Inflammative (?), a. Inflammatory.
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Inflammatory (?), a. [Cf. F. inflammatoire.] 1. Tending to inflame, kindle, or irritate.
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2. Tending to excite anger, animosity, tumult, or sedition; seditious; as, inflammatory libels, writings, speeches, or publications. Burke.
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3. (Med.) Accompanied with, or tending to cause, preternatural heat and excitement of arterial action; as, an inflammatory disease.
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Coloq. Inflammatory crust . (Med.) Same as Buffy coat, under . -- Coloq. Inflammatory fever , a variety of fever due to inflammation.
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Inflatable (?), a. That may be inflated.
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Inflate (?), p. a. [L. inflatus, p. p. of inflare to inflate; pref. in- in + flare to blow. See to puff wind.] Blown in; inflated. Chaucer.
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Inflate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Inflated; p. pr. & vb. n. Inflating.] 1. To swell or distend with air or gas; to dilate; to expand; to enlarge; as, to inflate a bladder; to inflate the lungs.
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When passion's tumults in the bosom rise,
Inflate the features, and enrage the eyes. J. Scott of Amwell.
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2. Fig.: To swell; to puff up; to elate; as, to inflate one with pride or vanity.
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Inflate themselves with some insane delight. Tennyson.
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3. To cause to become unduly expanded or increased; as, to inflate the currency.
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Inflate, v. i. To expand; to fill; to distend.
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Inflated (?), a. 1. Filled, as with air or gas; blown up; distended; as, a balloon inflated with gas.
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2. Turgid; swelling; puffed up; bombastic; pompous; as, an inflated style.
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Inflated and astrut with self-conceit. Cowper.
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3. (Bot.) Hollow and distended, as a perianth, corolla, nectary, or pericarp. Martyn.
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4. Distended or enlarged fictitiously or without due cause; as, inflated prices; inflated expectations, etc.
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Inflater (?), n. One who, or that which, inflates; as, the inflaters of the stock exchange.
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Inflatingly, adv. In a manner tending to inflate.
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Inflation (?), n. [L. inflatio: cf. F. inflation.] 1. The act or process of inflating, or the state of being inflated, as with air or gas; distention; expansion; enlargement. Boyle.
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2. The state of being puffed up, as with pride; conceit; vanity. B. Jonson.
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3. Persistent expansion or increase in the general level of prices, usually caused by overissue of currency, and resulting in a reduced value of the currency. It is contrasted with deflation, and is when it occurs to a very high degree is called . [U.S.]
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Inflationist, n. One who favors an increased or very large issue of paper money. [U.S.]
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Inflatus (?), n. [L. See , v. t.] A blowing or breathing into; inflation; inspiration.
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The divine breath that blows the nostrils out
To ineffable inflatus. Mrs. Browning.
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Inflect (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Inflected; p. pr. & vb. n. Inflecting.] [L. inflectere, inflexum; pref. in- in + flectere to bend. See , and cf. .] 1. To turn from a direct line or course; to bend; to incline, to deflect; to curve; to bow.
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Are they [the rays of the sun] not reflected, refracted, and inflected by one and the same principle ? Sir I. Newton.
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2. (Gram.) To vary, as a noun or a verb in its terminations; to decline, as a noun or adjective, or to conjugate, as a verb.
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3. To modulate, as the voice.
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Inflected, a. 1. Bent; turned; deflected.
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2. (Gram.) Having inflections; capable of, or subject to, inflection; inflective.
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Coloq. Inflected cycloid (Geom.), a prolate cycloid. See .
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Inflection (?), n. [L. inflexio : cf. F. inflexion. See .] [Written also inflecxion.] 1. The act of inflecting, or the state of being inflected.
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2. A bend; a fold; a curve; a turn; a twist.
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3. A slide, modulation, or accent of the voice; as, the rising and the falling inflection.
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4. (Gram.) The variation or change which words undergo to mark case, gender, number, comparison, tense, person, mood, voice, etc.
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5. (Mus.) (a) Any change or modification in the pitch or tone of the voice. (b) A departure from the monotone, or reciting note, in chanting.
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6. (Opt.) Same as .
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Coloq. Point of inflection (Geom.), the point on opposite sides of which a curve bends in contrary ways.
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Inflectional (?), a. Of or pertaining to inflection; having, or characterized by, inflection. Max Müller.
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Inflective (?), a. 1. Capable of, or pertaining to, inflection; deflecting; as, the inflective quality of the air. Derham.
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2. (Gram.) Inflectional; characterized by variation, or change in form, to mark case, tense, etc.; subject to inflection.
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Coloq. Inflective language (Philol.), a language like the Greek or Latin, consisting largely of stems with variable terminations or suffixes which were once independent words. English is both agglutinative, as, manlike, headache, and inflective, as, he, his, him. Cf. .
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Inflesh (?), v. t. To incarnate.
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Inflex (?), v. t. [Cf. , .] To bend; to cause to become curved; to make crooked; to deflect. J. Philips.
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Inflexed (?), a. 1. Turned; bent. Feltham.
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2. (Bot.) Bent or turned abruptly inwards, or toward the axis, as the petals of a flower.
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Inflexibility (?), n. [Cf. F. inflexibilité.] The quality or state of being inflexible, or not capable of being bent or changed; unyielding stiffness; inflexibleness; rigidity; firmness of will or purpose; unbending pertinacity; steadfastness; resoluteness; unchangeableness; obstinacy.
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The inflexibility of mechanism. A. Baxter.
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That grave inflexibility of soul. Churchill.
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The purity and inflexibility of their faith. T. Warton.
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Inflexible (?), a. [L. inflexiblis: cf. F. inflexible. See not, and .] 1. Not capable of being bent; stiff; rigid; firm; unyielding.
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2. Firm in will or purpose; not to be turned, changed, or altered; resolute; determined; unyieding; inexorable; stubborn.
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“Inflexibleas steel.” Miltom.
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A man of upright and inflexible temper . . . can overcome all private fear. Addison.
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3. Incapable of change; unalterable; immutable.
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The nature of things is inflexible. I. Watts.

Syn. -- -- Unbending; unyielding; rigid; inexorable; pertinacious; obstinate; stubborn; unrelenting.
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Inflexibleness, n. The quality or state of being inflexible; inflexibility; rigidity; firmness.
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Inflexibly, adv. In an inflexible manner.
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Inflexion (?), n. Inflection.
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Inflexive (?), a. 1. Inflective.
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“Inflexive endings.” W. E. Jelf.
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2. Inflexible. [R.] “Foes inflexive.” Chapman.
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Inflexure (?), n. An inflection; a bend or fold. [R.] Sir T. Browne.
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Inflict (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Inflicted; p. pr. & vb. n. Inflicting.] [L. inflictus, p. p. of infligere to strike on, to inflict; pref. in- in, on + fligere to strike. Cf. .] To give, cause, or produce by striking, or as if by striking; to apply forcibly; to lay or impose; to send; to cause to bear, feel, or suffer; as, to inflict blows; to inflict a wound with a dagger; to inflict severe pain by ingratitude; to inflict punishment on an offender; to inflict the penalty of death on a criminal.
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What heart could wish, what hand inflict, this dire disgrace? Drygen.
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The persecution and the pain
That man inflicts on all inferior kinds. Cowper.
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Inflicter (?), n. One who inflicts.
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God is the sole and immediate inflicter of such strokes. South.
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Infliction (?), n. [L. inflictio: cf. F. infliction.] 1. The act of inflicting or imposing; as, the infliction of torment, or of punishment.
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2. That which is inflicted or imposed, as punishment, disgrace, calamity, etc.
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His severest inflictions are in themselves acts of justice and righteousness. Rogers.
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Inflictive (?), a. [Cf. F. inflictif.] Causing infliction; acting as an infliction. Whitehead.
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Inflorescence (?), n. [L. inflorescens, p. pr. of inflorescere to begin to blossom; pref. in- in + florescere to begin to blossom: cf. F. inflorescence. See .] 1. A flowering; the putting forth and unfolding of blossoms.
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2. (Bot.) (a) The mode of flowering, or the general arrangement and disposition of the flowers with reference to the axis, and to each other. (b) An axis on which all the buds are flower buds.
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Inflorescence affords an excellent characteristic mark in distinguishing the species of plants. Milne.
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Coloq. Centrifugal inflorescence , determinate inflorescence. -- Coloq. Centripetal inflorescence , indeterminate inflorescence. See under , and .
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Inflow (?), v. i. To flow in. Wiseman.
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inflowing adj. flowing inward.
Syn. -- influent.
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Influence (ĭnfl��ns), n. [F. influence, fr. L. influens, -entis, p. pr. See , and cf. .] 1. A flowing in or upon; influx. [Obs.]
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God hath his influence into the very essence of all things. Hooker.
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2. Hence, in general, the bringing about of an effect, physical or moral, by a gradual process; controlling power quietly exerted; agency, force, or tendency of any kind which affects, modifies, or sways; as, the influence which the sun exerts on animal and vegetable life; the influence of education on the mind; the influence, according to astrologers, of the stars over affairs.
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Astrologers call the evil influences of the stars, evil aspects. Bacon.
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Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion? Job xxxviii. 31.
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She said : “Ah, dearest lord! what evil star
On you hath frown'd, and poured, his influence bad?” Spenser.
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3. Power or authority arising from elevated station, excelence of character or intellect, wealth, etc.; reputation; acknowledged ascendency; as, he is a man of influence in the community.
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Such influence hath your excellency. Sir P. Sidney.
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4. (Elec.) Induction.

Syn. -- Control; persuasion; ascendency; sway; power; authority; supremacy; mastery; management; restraint; character; reputation; prestige.
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Influence, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Influenced (ĭnfl��nst); p. pr. & vb. n. Influencing (ĭnfl��nsĭng).] To control or move by power, physical or moral; to affect by gentle action; to exert an influence upon; to modify, bias, or sway; to affect; to move; to persuade; to induce.
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These experiments succeed after the same manner in vacuo as in the open air, and therefore are not influenced by the weight or pressure of the atmosphere. Sir I. Newton.
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This standing revelation . . . is sufficient to influence their faith and practice, if they attend. Attebury.
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The principle which influenced their obedience has lost its efficacy. Rogers.
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