Both Uses of
congenital
in
The Mill on the Floss
- An anatomist—even a mere physiognomist—would have seen that the deformity of Philip's spine was not a congenital hump, but the result of an accident in infancy; but you do not expect from Tom any acquaintance with such distinctions; to him, Philip was simply a humpback.†
Chpt 2.3
- A boy born with a deficient power of apprehending signs and abstractions must suffer the penalty of his congenital deficiency, just as if he had been born with one leg shorter than the other.†
Chpt 2.4 *
Definition:
a physiological attribute present at birth; or an ingrained trait