inject, v.
(ɪnˈdʒɛkt)
[f. L. inject-, ppl. stem of injicĕre to throw in or on, f. in- (in-2) + jacĕre to throw. Cf. F. injecter (18th c.).]
1. trans. To throw in. † a. In general sense. Obs. rare.
| 1611 Florio, Ingettare, to iniect or cast in. 1623 Cockeram ii, To Cast in, Inject. 1646 Sir T. Browne Pseud. Ep. ii. i. 51 As may be observed in Ice injected therein. |
b. spec. To drive or force (a fluid, etc.) into a passage or cavity, as by means of a syringe, or by some impulsive power; said esp. of the introduction of medicines or other preparations into the cavities or tissues of the body: cf. injection 1 b.
| 1601 Holland Pliny xxvi. xv. 267 It is of great force either applied outwardly or injected inwardly. 1641 Wilkins Math. Magick ii. i. (1648) 153 The winde-gun, which is charged by the forcible compression of air, being injected through a Syringe. 1684–5 Boyle Min. Waters 109 To guess at the Qualities of the Mineral Waters, as by injecting it into the veins of a Dog, to try whether it will coagulate his Blood, or make it more fluid. 1758 J. S. Le Dran's Observ. Surg. (1771) 27, I..injected Barley Water up the Nose. 1844 Dufton Deafness 91 Injecting warm water into the ear through the Eustachian tube. 1875 Knight Dict. Mech. 1185/2 A device for injecting a supply of feed-water into..a steam-boiler. 1878 Huxley Physiogr. 193 Lava is then injected into the cracks. |
c. transf. in scientific contexts: spec. (a) to introduce or feed (an alternating current or voltage) into a circuit or device; (b) to introduce (charged atomic or subatomic particles) into an accelerator; (c) to introduce (charge carriers) into a region of a semiconductor device.
| 1939 Amat. Radio Handbk. iii. 43/1 The triode is arranged as an oscillator injecting its oscillations into the common cathode lead of the R.F. pentode. 1945 Jrnl. Appl. Physics XVI. 583/1 The electrons are injected with a voltage ranging from 30 to 70 kv and, if allowed to remain in the 66-inch diameter circular orbit for the entire quarter cycle, they circle the magnetic flux about 250,000 times. 1949 Ryder & Shockley in Physical Rev. LXXV. 310/2 When terminal 1 is negative, no holes enter from it and holes injected from terminal 2 are spread over a wide area where their concentration is so small as to produce an inappreciable lowering of resistance. 1950 D. Halliday Introd. Nucl. Physics ix. 342 Protons are injected into the cavity at 4-mev energy, from a pressure-type electrostatic generator which serves as an ion source. 1956 L. P. Hunter Handbk. Semiconductor Electronics iii. 10 When such a junction is biased in the forward direction..electrons (A) are injected into the P-type region and holes (B) are injected into the N-type region. 1962 Proc. IRE L. 1784/2 At any voltage..there will be excess charge injected into the insulator. 1966 McGraw-Hill Encycl. Sci. & Technol. IX. 583/1 Ions are injected into the accelerator by an electrostatic machine. 1968 Marton & El-Kareh Electron Beam & Laser Beam Technol. 64 The beam formed by the gun is injected into a cylindrical drift tube immersed in a uniform axial magnetic field. 1970 J. Earl Tuners & Amplifiers vi. 139 Hum currents can be easily injected into the system with a resulting very loud ‘roar’ from the loudspeaker. 1972 Physics Bull. Mar. 175/2 A high energy electron beam is injected into a CO2/N2 mixture to produce uniform volume ionization of the gas [in the laser]. 1973 Nature 16 Feb. 444/1 Plutonium isotopes..have been injected into the stratosphere as a result of atmospheric nuclear weapons tests. |
d. Astronautics. To put into (an) orbit.
| 1961 C. T. Morrow Symposium Ballistic Missile & Aerospace Technol. I. 207 Methods by which a satellite can be injected into the 24-hour equatorial or stationary orbit. 1964 Mueller & Spangler Communication Satellites xii. 242 Launch operations..will probably entail..a 99 per cent probability for each satellite that it will be injected into orbit, following successful launch of a single booster. 1970 Sci. Jrnl. Aug. 10/4 The extra load prevented it from injecting the 260 kilogramme Satellite Test Vehicle (STV) into orbit. 1970 Nature 10 Oct. 154/2 Energy considerations make it difficult to consider seriously proposals to inject unwanted material into orbit. |
2. fig. To ‘throw in’ or introduce from without with more or less violence or interruption, as a thought or feeling into the mind, a statement into a discourse, etc.; to suggest; to interject. Also (esp. from sense 1 e of injection), to insert, introduce.
| 1639 J. Saltmarsh Policy 196 Make use of the opportunity offered, and modestly inject the remembrance of your selfe. 1647 Fuller Good Th. in Worse T. 73 Our Adversary injects..bad motions into our hearts. 1654 Jer. Taylor Real Pres. Ep. Ded., To disturb the peace of consciences by troubling the persecuted, and injecting scruples into the infortunate, who suspect every thing. 1776 Johnson in Boswell 16 Mar., I would have him to inject a little hint now and then, to prevent his being overlooked. 1842 R. M. M{supc}Cheyne in Mem. (1872) 405 [Satan] injecting blasphemies and polluted thoughts into their minds. 1865 Mozley Mirac. vi. 127 A calculating engine injects into a lengthened series of regularly succeeding numbers an insulated deviation. 1950 N.Y. Times 20 Apr. 1/6 Senator Harry P. Cain..sought to inject a note of caution into the debate. 1956 Britannica Bk. of Year 493/1 Inject, used in the sense of to insert, to interpolate. 1958 Ann. Reg. 1957 443 Films of events in the news could be ‘injected’ directly into the national (London) news bulletin. 1965 New Statesman 30 Apr. 696/1 It would inject some urgency into the lives of those..teams who plod through the season without any real hope of promotion or fear of relegation. 1969 Listener 2 Jan. 4/2 The raid injects new factors. 1970 Nature 12 Dec. 1019/1 The British government's decision to tighten the purse strings by refusing to inject a large sum of money into either the European Airbus or its rival, the BAC 3-11. 1972 N.Y. Law Jrnl. 31 Oct. 15/5 Issues would be injected in the consolidated proceedings which would prejudice the rights of one of the claimants. |
3. transf. To fill or charge (a cavity, etc., or an animal body) by injection. Const. with.
| 1731 Monro (title) Essay on the Art of Injecting the Vessels of Animals. 1753 Chambers Cycl. Suppl. s.v. Injection, Many disorders of particular parts are no way curable, unless the parts affected are injected with a proper liquor. 1803 Med. Jrnl. IX. 551 An easy and successful method of injecting the auditory organ with metal, in order to exhibit its beautiful and intricate structure. 1844–57 G. Bird Urin. Deposits (ed. 5) 369 The relief..given..by injecting the bladder with warm water. 1875 Lyell Princ. Geol. I. ii. xxv. 629 It is clear that such rents must be injected with melted matter. |
† 4. To throw or cast on something. Obs.
| 1599 A. M. tr. Gabelhouer's Bk. Physicke 141/2 Iniect the same on hot coales, and sitt therover. 1725 Pope Odyss. xi. 322 They yet surround The town with walls, and mound inject on mound. |
Hence inˈjecting vbl. n.
| 1611 Cotgr., Seringuement, a squirting; an iniecting. 1877 W. Thomson Voy. Challenger I. i. 16 We are provided with all the necessary apparatus and arrangements..for dissecting and injecting. |