inflation
UK: ɪnˈfleɪʃ(ə)n | US: ɪnˈfleɪʃ(ə)n
n. a general increase in prices and fall in the purchasing value of money.
n. the action of inflating something or the condition of being inflated.
n. (in cosmology) the exponential expansion of the universe theorized to have occurred shortly after the Big Bang.
The word "inflation" originates from the Latin inflatio, derived from inflare ("to blow into, puff up"), combining in- (into) and flare (to blow). The term initially described literal physical expansion (e.g., inflating a balloon) and later evolved metaphorically in economics (19th century) to denote currency devaluation via excessive money supply—akin to "blowing up" prices. The cosmological sense emerged in the 1980s, likening the universe's rapid expansion to a balloon's inflation.
Central banks aim to control inflation to stabilize the economy.
The inflation of the balloon took less than a minute.
Cosmic inflation theory explains the uniformity of the universe.
High inflation eroded people's savings.
The mattress's inflation valve was broken.