DictionaryAI

injury

IN-jur-ee/ˈɪn.d͡ʒɚ.i/UKIN-juh-ree/ˈɪn.d͡ʒə.ɹi/

Pluralinjuries

4 meanings of injury

Practice

  1. 1
    to the bodynouncountable or uncountable
    Harm done to the body of a person, animal, or other living thing.

    Like a crack in a wall after something hits it hard.

    The fall caused a serious injury to his knee.

    Wearing a helmet helps prevent injury when you ride a bike.

    UsageYou get or suffer an injury: a knee injury, an injury to your arm.

    Similardamage, harm, wound, trauma

  2. 2
    harm (not bodily)nouncountable or uncountable
    Harm that is not to the body, such as hurt feelings or damage to someone's name, rights, or things.

    Like damaging something that belongs to another person, even if you cannot touch it.

    Spreading lies about her caused real injury to her good name.

    The court said the broken contract caused him financial injury.

    UsageSay injury to something: injury to her good name.

  3. 3
    unfair treatmentnounarchaiccountable or uncountable
    An unfair or wrongful act done to someone.
    Note

Less common meaning

  1. 4
    verbobsoletetransitive
    To treat someone wrongly or cause them harm.
    The best of us doth not so much feare to wrong him, as he doth to injurie his neighbour, his kinsman, or his master.
    II.12Here, injurie means treat someone wrongly or cause them harm.
    Note

Practice

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Origin

It comes from Latin iniūria, meaning "wrong" or "injustice," made from in- ("not") plus iūs ("right, law"). It reached English through French.

Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

  • Injury ultimately comes from Latin iniūria, meaning wrong or injustice. en.wiktionary.org
  • Latin iniūria was ultimately formed from in-, meaning not, and iūs, meaning right or law. en.wiktionary.org
  • The word reached English through French, specifically Anglo-Norman. en.wiktionary.org