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in fan try man /'infantriman/ noun (pi. -men /-man/) a soldier who fights on foot

in farc tion /m'faikfn; NAmE -'fa:rk-/ noun (medical [£) a condition in which the blood supply to an area of tissue is blocked and the tissue dies $LM ; ffl/E infatuated /in'faetj'ueitid/ adj. ~ (with sb/sth) having a very strong feeling of love or attraction for sb/sth so that you cannot think clearly and in a sensible way ff Eft besotted : She was completely infatuated with him.      f&0

in fatu ation /in.faetju'eijn/ noun [C, U] - (with/for sb/ sth) very strong feelings of love or attraction for sb/sth, especially when these are unreasonable and do not last long (                 Btlft ) 8*35,                    It isn’t love, it’s just a

passing infatuation. g[$AJi:§1f, H AMJi— in fect On- /m'fekt/ verb [VN]

~ sb/sth (with sth) 1 to make a disease or an illness spread to a person, an animal or a plant ^ : It is not possible to infect another person through kissing. J£($iAhJ    ft                 A 0 o people

infected with HIV ^AjtM^^liEftA 2 [usually passive] to make a substance contain harmful bacteria that can spread disease f£ $! ff? ^ H cn?l contaminate : eggs infected with salmonella     AI!Eft$l:lf 3 to make a

computer virus spread to another computer or program f£i5^ (         ) 4 to make sb share a

particular feeling {£    ^ # fig 'If ) ; & R|nl: She

infected the children with her enthusiasm for music. ft&A

infected 0-w/m'fektid/adj. containing harmful bacteria ffHEft; ]jg ]l[ (ft: The wound from the dog bite had become infected. Eft Mi O an infected water supply ^^Eft in-fec-tion 0-w /m'fekjn/ noun 1 [U] the act or process of causing or getting a disease ft^;                  to be exposed to infection HHA

Eft£f±t o to increase the risk of infection J^inft^W)e;l^ — see also cross-infection 2 [C] an illness that is caused by bacteria or a virus and that affects one part of the body ( f^-lpf: an ear/

throat, etc. infection ^p|A ^ rP Hi 0 to spread an infection          o note at disease — compare

CONTAGION

in-fectious O-w/m'fekfas/ adj.

1 an infectious disease can be passed easily from one person to another, especially through the air they breathe    $&lft (        W. ) : Flu is

highly infectious.   0 (figurative) infec­

tious laughter HWliSIfeA£ft=£^ 2 [not usually before noun] if a person or an animal is infectious, they have a disease that can be spread to others HA'ff ^ff %kfj: I’m still infectious.  —compare

contagious ► in fec tious ly adv.: to laugh infectiously in-fec-tious-ness noun [U]

infective /m'fektiv/ adj. (medical E) able to cause infection £#|fc|ft; ft»Eft infer /in'f3:(r)/ verb (-rr-) 1 ~ sth (from sth) to reach an opinion or decide that sth is true on the basis of infor­mation that is available ft ®t ; ft ife ; ft S EVTH deduce : [VN] Much of the meaning must be inferred

from the context.   ft®To         0

[V that] It is reasonable to infer that the government knew about these deals.          2      (non­

standard) to suggest indirectly that sth is true In] ft ft Hi; Bf A; ^fa : [V (that)] Are you inferring (that) I’m not capable of doing the job? f^W£h£;iJiAJi?cAtE mmifrXft? [also VN]

inference /'infarans/ noun 1 [C] something that you can find out indirectly from what you already know ft i$T Eft ^ ; £p ife PCT71 deduction : to draw/make inferences from the data        o The

clear inference is that the universe is expanding, ifcHAltiAA Ao 2 [U] the act or process of forming an opinion, based on what you already know ft f$r; ft fl; ft : If he is guilty then, by inference, so is his

wife (= it is logical to think so, from the same evidence).

in-fer-ior /m'fi8ria(r); NAmE -'fir-/ adj., noun

m adj. 1 ~ (to sb/sth) not good or not as good as sb/sth else $£H(ft;   of inferior quality £

Jit Eft o inferior goods    0 to make sbfeel inferior

f^ S Aft 1#r A 0 Modem music is often considered inferior to that of the past.

Eft o 2 [usually before noun] (formal) of lower rank; lower ; &fft#J: an inferior officer A

SUPERIOR

m noun a person who is not as good as sb else; a person who is lower in rank or status A#B£ij AEft A;

jm) imx

in fer ior ity /m.fiari'nrati; NAmE-,firi'o:r-; -'a:r-/ noun [U] the state of not being as good as sb/sth else fft#; A ^; 5*7 ^: a sense of inferiority g [ji o social infer­iority fiT33 SUPERIORITY

inferiority complex noun a feeling that you are not as good, as important or as intelligent as other people

m; aim#

infer nal /m'f3:nl; NAmE in'f3:rnl/ adj. 1 [only before noun] (old-fashioned) extremely annoying $£ it A Eft ; nj Eft : Stop that infernal noise! £ij 8P ^ <H «# 7 !

2 (literary) connected with hell Eft; Pfi |a] Eft ► in-fer- nal-ly /-nali/ adv.

in-ferno /m'fainau; NAmE m'f3:rnou/ noun [usually sing.] (pi. -os) a very large dangerous fire that is out of control

A&SrfffJ^AA: a blazing/raging inferno MM ft! / ^

^fftAEftA'^

in fertile /in'f3:tail; NAmE in'f3:rtl/ adj. 1 (of people, animals and plants A^c^jflf^) not able to have babies or produce young A WEft ;          an infertile

couple )ftAt££WEftA#3 2 (of land ±j&) not able to produce good crops Eft WU3 fertile ► in-fer-til-ity /.infai'tilati; NAmE -f3:r't-/ noun [U]: an infertility clinic AW$Elft#|jEr 0 infertility treatment for couples Xf A

WfmAfilft^

in fest /in'fest/ verb [VN] [usually passive] (especially of insects or animals such as rats A fa l&A^Eft

zjj^d) to exist in large numbers in a particular place, often causing damage or disease A1I4; A fit &

A: shark-infested waters o The kitchen

was infested with ants.    ► infesta­

tion /.mfe'steijn/ noun [C, U]: an infestation of lice

EA

infidel /'infidal/ noun (old use) an offensive way of referring to sb who does not believe in what the speaker considers to be the true religion

WHICH WORD?

infer * imply

                  Infer and imply have opposite meanings. The two words can describe the same event, but from different points of view. If a speaker or writer implies something, they suggest it without saying it directly. * infer ffl imply icXffllx., Wia]nJi£Mi£[WJ

-IMS, -M^AIC implytABlR MM

if: The article implied that the pilot was responsible for the accident.     If

you infer something from what a speaker or writer says, you come to the conclusion that this is what he or she means. * infer EAA-'-AJtSfT. Hit;,a£: / inferred from the article that the pilot was responsible for the accident.     , A

                  Infer is now often used with the same meaning as imply. However, many people consider that a sentence such as Are you inferring that Im a liar? is incorrect, although it is fairly common in speech. 1%

infer imply mit&^|S]lft#A, AM#£ AAA Are you inferring that I’m a liar? (

)&#lft*jAAIEiil,