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Curse
Definitions
- 1 A supernatural detriment or hindrance; a bane.
"If ye will not heare, and if yee will not lay it to heart, to giue glory vnto my name, saith the Lord of hostes; I will euen send a curse vpon you, and will curse your blessings: yea, I haue cursed them already, because yee doe not lay it to heart."
- 2 profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger wordnet
- 3 A prayer or imprecation that harm may befall someone.
- 4 an evil spell wordnet
- 5 The cause of great harm, evil, or misfortune; that which brings evil or severe affliction; torment.
"The common curſe of mankinde, Folly and Ignorance[…]"
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- 6 an appeal to some supernatural power to inflict evil on someone or some group wordnet
- 7 A vulgar epithet.
"Swearing doesn't just mean what we now understand by "dirty words". It is entwined, in social and linguistic history, with the other sort of swearing: vows and oaths. Consider for a moment the origins of almost any word we have for bad language – "profanity", "curses", "oaths" and "swearing" itself."
- 8 a severe affliction wordnet
- 9 A woman's menses. dated, derogatory, slang, usually, with-definite-article
- 10 something causing misery or death wordnet
- 1 To place a curse upon (a person or object). transitive
"And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, saying, Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, which covereth the face of the earth: come now, curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out. And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed."
- 2 utter obscenities or profanities wordnet
- 3 To call upon divine or supernatural power to send injury upon; to imprecate evil upon; to execrate.
"Thou ſhalt not[…]curſe the ruler of thy people."
- 4 wish harm upon; invoke evil upon wordnet
- 5 To speak or shout a vulgar curse or epithet. transitive
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- 6 heap obscenities upon wordnet
- 7 To use offensive or morally inappropriate language. intransitive
"Then beganne hee to curſe and to ſweare[…]"
- 8 exclude from a church or a religious community wordnet
- 9 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.
"On Impious Realms, and barb’rous Kings, impoſe / Thy Plagues, and curſe 'em with ſuch Sons as thoſe."
Etymology
From Middle English curse, kors, cors, curs, from Old English cors, curs (“curse”), of unknown origin.
From Middle English cursen, corsen, coursen, from Old English corsian, cursian (“to curse”), from the noun (see above).
See also for "curse"
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