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DictionaryRoot: iacere
Latin

iacere

throw, cast

Forms

  • iac-
  • iact- — Latin stem of the form meaning ‘thrown.’
  • -ic- — Used in Latin compounds.
  • -iect- — Stem of the form meaning ‘thrown’ in Latin compounds.
  • -ject- — English spelling of the compound stem.

Origin

Reconstructed Proto-Indo-European *ye-, ‘throw; impel.’

Note

Latin vowel length distinguishes this verb from iacēre, ‘lie down.’

6 / 18
noun

injection

in-JEK-shun/ɪnˈdʒekʃn/

The introduction of fluid into the body with a needle.

A clinician gives a patient an injection in the upper arm.

A clinician depresses the plunger of a syringe whose needle is inserted into a patient's exposed upper arm, making the act of injecting liquid immediately visible.
Etymology
inLatinin, into, on, upon
+jectLatinthrow, cast
+ionLatinan action, process, or result

The pieces give the image of throwing something in. In medical use, that became forcing fluid into a body, as with a syringe, rather than throwing a solid object.

In context

SCP Orientation4:49
she finds a fresh needle mark with a speck of blood and remembers administering the injection
Your Last First Day (SCP Orientation Tales)

More examples

  • This medicine is given by injection rather than by mouth.
  • She needs daily insulin injections to manage her diabetes.
  • The injection site feels sore for a few hours.

Forms

injection · injections

inject verb — Introduce fluid into the body by needle.

Similar words

shot
An informal term for an injection, often a vaccine.
inoculation
Specifically introduces a vaccine to protect against a disease.