Inflation is the general rise in prices over time, which makes money able to buy less than before. In science, it can also mean something expanding or swelling.
It comes from Latin “inflare,” meaning “to blow into” or “to puff up,” through Latin “inflatio” (a blowing up or swelling). Economists later used it to describe money and prices “puffed up” over time.
Inflation literally means “blowing up,” like a balloon—only here, it’s prices that swell. A small amount is normal in most economies, but high inflation quietly steals purchasing power from everyone. It’s one of the few invisible forces that you can feel every time you go shopping.
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