imprecation - Definitions from Dictionary.com

5 results for: imprecation

Browse Nearby Entries

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

im·pre·ca·tion

Audio Help [im-pri-key-shuh

n] Pronunciation Key

–noun

1.	the act of imprecating; cursing.

2.	a curse; malediction.

[Origin: 1575–85; < L imprecātiōn- (s. of imprecātiō), equiv. to imprecāt(us) (see imprecate) + -iōn- -ion

]

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
imprecation

To learn more about imprecation visit Britannica.com

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

im·pre·ca·tion Audio Help (ĭm'prĭ-kā'shən) Pronunciation Key
n.

The act of imprecating.
A curse.

(Download Now or Buy the Book)

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
imprecation

1448, from L. imprecationem (nom. imprecatio), from imprecatus, pp. of imprecari "invoke, pray," from in- "within" + precari "to pray, ask beg, request." "Current limited sense is characteristic of human nature." [Weekley]

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

imprecation
noun
1.	the act of calling down a curse that invokes evil (and usually serves as an insult); "he suffered the imprecations of the mob"
2.	a slanderous accusation

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Imprecation

Im`pre*ca"tion\, n. [L. imprecatio: cf. F. impr['e]cation.] The act of imprecating, or invoking evil upon any one; a prayer that a curse or calamity may fall on any one; a curse.

Men cowered like slaves before such horrid imprecations. --Motley.

Syn: Malediction; curse; execration; anathema. See Malediction.

Browse Nearby Entries: