1640s, "bent, curved," past-participle adjective from inflect (v.). Grammatical sense is from 1775.
Entries linking to inflected
inflect v.
early 15c., "to bend inward," from Latin inflectere (past participle inflexus) "to bend in, bow, curve," figuratively, "to change, alter, influence," from in- "in" (see in- (1)) + flectere "to bend" (see flexible). Grammatical sense "to vary by change of form" (especially at the end of a word) is from 1660s. Related: Inflected; inflecting.