imprecation

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See also: imprécation

English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
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Etymology

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Learned borrowing from Latin imprecātiō (calling down of curses), from imprecor (call down, invoke).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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imprecation (countable and uncountable, plural imprecations)

  1. The act of imprecating, or invoking evil upon someone; a prayer that a curse or calamity may befall someone.
    • 1679, [John] Dryden, [Nathaniel] Lee, Oedipus: A Tragedy. [], London: [] R. Bentley and M. Magnes [], →OCLC, Act I, page 15:
      Hear then this dreadful imprecation; hear it: / 'Tis lay'd on all; not any one exempt: []
    • 1893, Stephen Crane, chapter 10, in Maggie, Girl of the Streets:
      Her son turned to look at her as she reeled and swayed in the middle of the room, her fierce face convulsed with passion, her blotched arms raised high in imprecation. "May Gawd curse her forever," she shrieked.
  2. A curse.
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Translations

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Anagrams

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