n.
Pronunciation: in- ' fl ā -sh ə n
Function: noun
Date: 14th century
1 : an act of inflating : a state of being inflated: as a : DISTENSION b : a hypothetical extremely brief period of very rapid expansion of the universe immediately following the big bang c : empty pretentiousness : POMPOSITY
2 : a continuing rise in the general price level usually attributed to an increase in the volume of money and credit relative to available goods and services