curse
Pronunciation Noun
This text is extracted from the Wiktionary and it is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license | Terms and conditions | Privacy policy 0.003
Pronunciation Noun
curse (plural curses)
- A supernatural detriment or hindrance; a bane.
- A prayer or imprecation that harm may befall someone.
- The cause of great harm, evil, or misfortune; that which brings evil or severe affliction; torment.
- 1602, William Shakespeare, Toilus and Cressida, Act II, sc. 3:
- The common curse of mankind, folly and ignorance ...
- 1602, William Shakespeare, Toilus and Cressida, Act II, sc. 3:
- A vulgar epithet.
- (slang, dated, derogatory, usually with "the") A woman's menses.
- French: mauvais sort, malédiction
- German: Fluch, Verwünschung, Verdammnis
- Italian: maledizione, maleficio
- Portuguese: maldição
- Russian: прокля́тие
- Spanish: maldición
- French: malédiction, mauvais sort
- German: Fluch
- Portuguese: maldição
- Russian: прокля́тие
- Spanish: maldición
- French: juron
- Italian: imprecazione
- Portuguese: praga, palavra de baixo calão, vulgaridade, obscenidade
- Russian: руга́тельство
- Spanish: mala palabra, maldición
curse (curses, present participle cursing; past and past participle cursed)
- (transitive) To place a curse upon (a person or object).
- 1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, OCLC 639762314 ↗, page 0105 ↗:
- Captain Edward Carlisle […] felt a curious sensation of helplessness seize upon him as he met her steady gaze, […] ; he could not tell what this prisoner might do. He cursed the fate which had assigned such a duty, cursed especially that fate which forced a gallant soldier to meet so superb a woman as this under handicap so hard.
- To call upon divine or supernatural power to send injury upon; to imprecate evil upon; to execrate.
- Bible, Book of Exodus xxii. 28
- Thou shalt not […] curse the ruler of thy people.
- Bible, Book of Exodus xxii. 28
- (transitive) To speak or shout a vulgar curse or epithet.
- (intransitive) To use offensive or morally inappropriate language.
- Bible, Gospel of Matthew xxi. 74
- Then began he to curse and to swear.
- 1610–1611, William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act II, scene ii]:
- His spirits hear me, / And yet I need must curse.
- Synonyms: swear
- Bible, Gospel of Matthew xxi. 74
- To bring great evil upon; to be the cause of serious harm or unhappiness to; to furnish with that which will be a cause of deep trouble; to afflict or injure grievously; to harass or torment.
- 1703, Alexander Pope, Thebais
- On impious realms and barbarous kings impose / Thy plagues, and curse 'em with such sons as those.
- 1703, Alexander Pope, Thebais
- French: maudire
- German: (engl. swear) fluchen, verfluchen
- Italian: maledire
- Portuguese: amaldiçoar
- Russian: проклина́ть
- Spanish: maldecir
- French: maudire
- German: fluchen (+ dative), verfluchen
- Portuguese: amaldiçoar, rogar uma praga
- Russian: наводи́ть по́рчу
- German: fluchen
- Italian: imprecare, bestemmiare
- Portuguese: praguejar
- Russian: руга́ть
- Spanish: maldecir
This text is extracted from the Wiktionary and it is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license | Terms and conditions | Privacy policy 0.003