Injure

/ˈɪndʒər/ verb

Definition

To cause physical harm or damage to someone's body or to hurt someone's feelings.

Etymology

From Latin 'injuria' (wrongdoing, insult) via Old French 'injure.' The root 'in-' means against and 'jus' means right, literally meaning to act against someone's rights.

Kelly Says

The legal concept of 'injure' is interesting—it originally meant any violation of someone's rights, not just physical harm, which is why we still talk about 'injured parties' in lawsuits who never had a scratch.

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