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#93173 01/24/03 02:19 AM
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Jackie Offline OP
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I came across a word in my Chambers dictionary that struck me as odd: reflation. The def. is: "n increase in the amount of currency, economic activity, etc. after deflation; a general increase, above what would normally be expected, in the spending of money. --vt (back-formation from n) reflate. --adj reflationary"
Is this a term used in Britain? I don't recall hearing of it before. It makes perfect sense, which is no doubt why it struck me as odd.


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what's inflation then? can you have re-inflation?



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Yes, Jackie - the word is common over here (on the financial pages, at least!)
It is, to some extent, a compound of inflate and re-inflate, but inflation has a bad (ish) connotation - that the money supply is getting out of hand (not in the Rhubarb patch, it ain't !! ) whereas reflation has the connotation of things returning to normality, stability or whatever.


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Jackie Offline OP
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Thank you.



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