[a. L. afflātus a breathing upon, blast, f. afflā-re: see AFFLATE v.]
† 1. Breathing, hissing. [L. afflātus serpentis.] Obs.
1753. Chambers, Cycl. Supp., s.v., Naturalists sometimes speak of the afflatus of serpents.
2. The miraculous communication of supernatural knowledge; hence also, the imparting of an overmastering impulse, poetic or otherwise; inspiration.
1665. J. Spencer, Prophecies, 54. Those writings being inspired by … a more gentle and easie afflatus.
1782. Priestley, Nat. & Rev. Relig., I. 245. Orpheus said antient poets wrote by a divine afflatus.
1823. Examiner, 13 April, 8/2. In the First Witch Blanchard in our estimation felt himself inspired with a portion of the divine afflatus of the great author.
1865. Livingstone, Zambesi, xxiv. 497. A migratory afflatus seems to have come over the Ajawa tribes.
1873. Goulburn, Pers. Relig., IV. vii. 310. When writing under the Afflatus of the Holy Ghost.
1873. Symonds, Grk. Poets, viii. 248. Aristophanes must have eclipsed them … by the exhibition of some diviner faculty, some higher spiritual afflatus.
1930. Brooklyn Life, etc., 10 May, 4/2. ‘Afflatus’ never having appeared in a Supreme Court decision before caused a veritable cross word puzzlers’ rush for the dictionary by our Solons in Washington to find out what it meant.
3. Med. A species of erysipelas, so called from the suddenness of its attack. Mayne, Exp. Lex.
