trouble greatly by numbers or by frequency of presence; to disturb; to annoy; to frequent and molest or
harass; as, fleas infest dogs and cats; a sea infested with pirates.
To poison vermin that infest his plants.
Cowper.
These, said the genius, are envy, avarice, superstition, love, with the like cares and passions that infest
human life.
Addison.
And the cares, that infest the day,
Shall fold their tents, like the Arabs,
And as silently steal away.
Longfellow. Infestation
(In`fes*ta"tion) n. [L. infestatio: cf. F. infestation.] The act of infesting or state of being
infested; molestation; vexation; annoyance. Bacon.
Free from the infestation of enemies.
Donne. Infester
(In*fest"er) n. One who, or that which, infests.
Infestive
(In*fest"ive) a. [L. infestivus. See In- not, and Festive.] Having no mirth; not festive or merry; dull; cheerless; gloomy; forlorn.
[R.]
Infestivity
(In`fes*tiv"i*ty) n. Want of festivity, cheerfulness, or mirth; dullness; cheerlessness. [R.]
Infestuous
(In*fes"tu*ous) a. [L. infestus. See Infest, a.] Mischievous; harmful; dangerous. [Obs.] "Infestuous
as serpents." Bacon.
Infeudation
(In`feu*da"tion) n. [LL. infeudatio, fr. infeudare to enfeoff: cf. F. inféodation. See Feud a
fief.]
1. (Law) The act of putting one in possession of an estate in fee. Sir M. Hale.
2. The granting of tithes to laymen. Blackstone.
Infibulation
(In*fib`u*la"tion) n. [L. infibulare, infibulatum, to clasp, buckle, or button together; pref. in-
in + fibula clasp, buckle: cf. F. infibulation.]
1. The act of clasping, or fastening, as with a buckle or padlock.
2. The act of attaching a ring, clasp, or frame, to the genital organs in such a manner as to prevent
copulation.
Infidel
(In"fi*del) a. [L. infidelis; pref. in- not + fidelis faithful, fr. fides faith: cf. F. infidèle. See Fidelity.]
Not holding the faith; — applied esp. to one who does not believe in the inspiration of the Scriptures,
and the supernatural origin of Christianity.
The infidel writer is a great enemy to society.
V. Knox. Infidel
(In"fi*del), n. One who does not believe in the prevailing religious faith; especially, one who does
not believe in the divine origin and authority of Christianity; a Mohammedan; a heathen; a freethinker.
Infidel is used by English writers to translate the equivalent word used Mohammedans in speaking of
Christians and other disbelievers in Mohammedanism.
Syn. — Infidel, Unbeliever, Freethinker, Deist, Atheist, Sceptic, Agnostic. An infidel, in common
usage, is one who denies Christianity and the truth of the Scriptures. Some have endeavored to widen
the sense of infidel so as to embrace atheism and every form of unbelief; but this use does not generally
prevail. A freethinker is now only another name for an infidel. An unbeliever is not necessarily a disbeliever
or infidel, because he may still be inquiring after evidence to satisfy his mind; the word, however, is more
