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afflatus

 - 3 dictionary results

af⋅fla⋅tus

  [uh-fley-tuhs]
Use afflatus in a Sentence
–noun
1. inspiration; an impelling mental force acting from within.
2. divine communication of knowledge.
Origin:
1655–65; < L afflātus a breathing on, equiv. to af- af- + flā- (s. of flāre to blow 2 ) + -tus suffix of v. action
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To afflatus
af·fla·tus   (ə-flā'təs)   
n.  A strong creative impulse, especially as a result of divine inspiration.

[Latin afflātus, from past participle of afflāre, to breathe on : ad-, ad- + flāre, to blow; see bhlē- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

afflatus 
"miraculous communication of supernatural knowledge," 1665, from L. afflatus "a breathing upon, blast," from pp. stem of afflare "to blow upon," from ad- "to" + flare "to blow" (see blow (v.1)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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