Dictionary

imprecation en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˌɪm.pɹɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/ (UK, US)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˌɪm.pɹəˈkeɪ.ʃən/ (UK, US)

Etymology

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

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) The act of imprecating, or invoking evil upon someone; a prayer that a curse or calamity may befall someone.
   • 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. 1893, Stephen Crane, chapter 10, in Maggie, Girl of the Streets:
   • Hear then this dreadful imprecation; hear it: / 'Tis lay'd on all; not any one exempt: […] 1679, [John] Dryden, [Nathaniel] Lee, Oedipus: A Tragedy. […], London: […] R. Bentley and M. Magnes […], →OCLC, Act I, page 15:
2. (countable, uncountable) A curse.
   • He drank the spirits and impatiently bade us go; terminating his command with a sequel of horrid imprecations too bad to repeat or remember. 1847 December, Ellis Bell [pseudonym; Emily Brontë], chapter V, in Wuthering Heights: […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Thomas Cautley Newby, […], →OCLC:
   • 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. 1838, Boz [pseudonym; Charles Dickens], chapter III, in Oliver Twist; […], volume (please specify |volume=I, II, or III), London: Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC:
   • All life had turned to rottenness and stench in them--love was a beastliness, joy was a snare, and God was an imprecation. 1905 April–October, Upton Sinclair, chapter XVII, in The Jungle, New York, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 26 February 1906, →OCLC:

Forms

Deriveds

imprecational

Relateds

precation · deprecation · imprecatory · imprecate

Translations (54)

sv förbannelse (a curse) · cs zaklení (a curse) · bg прклятие (act of imprecating, or invoking evil upon someone) · pl klątwa (a curse) · pl przekleństwo (a curse) · cs prokletí (a curse) · it imprecazione (a curse) · ru прокля́тие (a curse) · oc imprecacion (act of imprecating, or invoking evil upon someone) · tr sövgü (a curse) · fr exécrer (act of imprecating, or invoking evil upon someone) · fr lancer des imprécations contre (act of imprecating, or invoking evil upon someone) · txb śāp (a curse) · fr imprécation (a curse) · es imprecación (act of imprecating, or invoking evil upon someone) · oc malediccion (act of imprecating, or invoking evil upon someone) · cs nadávka (a curse) · oc escomenja (a curse) · pl pomstowanie (act of imprecating, or invoking evil upon someone) · it imprecazione (act of imprecating, or invoking evil upon someone) · sv förbannelse (act of imprecating, or invoking evil upon someone) · uk прокляття (a curse) · ro blestem (act of imprecating, or invoking evil upon someone) · fr exécration (a curse) · pl złorzeczenie (act of imprecating, or invoking evil upon someone) · cs proklínání (act of imprecating, or invoking evil upon someone) · de Verwünschung (act of imprecating, or invoking evil upon someone) · la exsecrātiō (act of imprecating, or invoking evil upon someone) · nl verwensing (act of imprecating, or invoking evil upon someone) · ro imprecație (act of imprecating, or invoking evil upon someone) · tr sövme (act of imprecating, or invoking evil upon someone) · la imprecātiō (act of imprecating, or invoking evil upon someone) · fi kirous (act of imprecating, or invoking evil upon someone) · uk прокльон (act of imprecating, or invoking evil upon someone) · fr malédiction (a curse) · tr küfür etme (act of imprecating, or invoking evil upon someone) · fi kirous (a curse) · de Fluch (a curse) · la imprecātiō (a curse) · hy անեծք (a curse) · txb śāp (act of imprecating, or invoking evil upon someone) · da forbandelse (act of imprecating, or invoking evil upon someone) · uk проклін (act of imprecating, or invoking evil upon someone) · es imprecación (a curse) · oc imprecacion (a curse) · az qarğış (act of imprecating, or invoking evil upon someone) · cs kletba (a curse) · oc escomenge (a curse) · cs klení (a curse) · fr maudire (act of imprecating, or invoking evil upon someone) · cs prokletí (act of imprecating, or invoking evil upon someone) · tr küfretme (act of imprecating, or invoking evil upon someone) · ru прокля́тие (act of imprecating, or invoking evil upon someone) · tr küfür (a curse)