To cause harm, injury, or loss to someone; to damage or wrong a person, especially in legal matters.
From Latin damnificare, combining damnum (loss, damage) and facere (to do or make). The word entered English through legal and formal French, where it was commonly used in contracts and legal disputes.
Medieval merchants and lawyers loved this word because it was precise and sounded authoritative — if you wanted to sue someone for losses, you'd say they 'damnified' you, which made the harm sound official and documented.
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