afflictio

Afflictio is a Latin noun (feminine) meaning affliction, distress, or misfortune. In classical and late Latin, it denotes suffering experienced by individuals, groups, or communities, as well as oppressive conditions or calamities that affect them.

Etymology and form: The word is derived from the verb affligere, meaning to strike down, injure, or distress. The abstract noun is formed with the common Latin -tio suffix, yielding afflictio, afflictionis. Related forms include afflictus, the past participle meaning afflicted, and related verb derivatives used by Latin authors to describe impact and adversity.

Usage and context: Afflictio appears in various Latin texts to describe bodily pain, psychological distress, or social oppression. In philosophical and theological discourse, it is often used to discuss trials and sufferings either as human experiences or as phenomena permitted under providence or fate. The term thus functions as a neutral descriptor of hardship, rather than a technical concept, and is commonly encountered in translations and discussions of classical literature as well as early Christian writings.

Modern reception: In contemporary scholarship, afflictio is primarily of interest for its linguistic and historical value, illustrating how Latin speakers categorized suffering. In English-language scholarship, the term is usually rendered as “affliction” and appears mainly in discussions of Latin sources rather than as a separate modern concept.

See also: affliction, suffering, hardship; afflictus (afflicted); affligere.