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imprecation

noun
/ˌɪm.pɹɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/UK

Etymology

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

  1. learned borrowing from imprecātiō

Definitions

  1. The act of imprecating, or invoking evil upon someone

    The act of imprecating, or invoking evil upon someone; a prayer that a curse or calamity may befall someone.

    • Hear then this dreadful imprecation; hear it: / 'Tis lay'd on all; not any one exempt: […]
    • 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.

    • Mr. Gamfield growled a fierce imprecation on the donkey generally, but more particularly on his eyes; and, running after him, bestowed a blow on his head.
    • He drank the spirits and impatiently bade us go; terminating his command with a sequel of horrid imprecations too bad to repeat or remember.
    • All life had turned to rottenness and stench in them--love was a beastliness, joy was a snare, and God was an imprecation.

The neighborhood

Derived

imprecational

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for imprecation. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA