Both Uses of
infusion
in
The Scarlet Letter
- It was impossible to doubt that, whatever painful efficacy there might be in the secret sting of remorse, a deadlier venom had been infused into it by the hand that proffered relief.†
p. 154.1 *infused = added something to something else to make it better
- The instilment thereof into her mind would probably have caused this aged sister to drop down dead, at once, as by the effect of an intensely poisonous infusion.†
p. 204.7
Definitions:
-
(1)
(infusion) to add something to something else; or the thing added
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
More specifically, infusion can mean to add medicine or fluid to the blood stream through gravitational drip or pump.
It can also refer to a solution obtained by steeping or soaking a substance -- such as tea or herbs in water.