imprecate

[ im-pri-keyt ]
See synonyms for imprecate on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object),im·pre·cat·ed, im·pre·cat·ing.
  1. to invoke or call down (evil or curses), as upon a person.

Origin of imprecate

1
First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin imprecātus, past participle of imprecārī “to invoke, pray to or for,” equivalent to im- “in” + prec- “pray” + -ātus past participle suffix; see origin at im-1, pray, -ate1

Other words for imprecate

Opposites for imprecate

Other words from imprecate

  • im·pre·ca·tor, noun
  • im·pre·ca·to·ry, adjective
  • un·im·pre·cat·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use imprecate in a sentence

  • Cilla sprang to her, followed by the guide, imprecating bad luck to the slippery stones.

    Hopes and Fears | Charlotte M. Yonge
  • His peroration consisted of a luxuriant use of imprecating adjectives which stamped him as a person of original thought.

    The Shellback's Progress | Walter Runciman
  • Within the room the men and women jostled each other in the darkness, or jammed imprecating in the narrow doorway.

    Ben Blair | Will Lillibridge
  • Her father, partaking of her grief, and imprecating the king of Egypt, did not doubt but this accident foretold some fatal event.

    Voltaire's Romances | Franois-Marie Arouet
  • He was standing up, waving the loose ends of the reins about his head, and imprecating his horses into a gallop.

    Neighbours | Robert Stead

British Dictionary definitions for imprecate

imprecate

/ (ˈɪmprɪˌkeɪt) /


verb
  1. (intr) to swear, curse, or blaspheme

  2. (tr) to invoke or bring down (evil, a curse, etc): to imprecate disaster on the ship

  1. (tr) to put a curse on

Origin of imprecate

1
C17: from Latin imprecārī to invoke, from im- in- ² + precārī to pray

Derived forms of imprecate

  • imprecatory, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012