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YOUR VOCABULARY, ONE WORD AT A TIME

Imprecation

Noun

IPA /ˌɪmprɪˈkeɪʃən/

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Meaning in plain English

A spoken curse; the act of invoking evil or misfortune upon someone.

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Pronunciation

Imprecation/ˌɪmprɪˈkeɪʃən/

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  1. An angry speaker

  2. May misfortune fall on you!

An imprecation is a spoken curse wishing harm or misfortune.

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  1. The villain hurled an imprecation at the hero before vanishing into the shadows.
  2. The old woman’s imprecations echoed through the alley, unsettling the crowd.

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The villain hurled an ________ at the hero before vanishing into the shadows.
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Imprecation — A spoken curse; the act of invoking evil or misfortune upon someone.

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A spoken curse; the act of invoking evil or misfortune upon someone.

Compare: The villain hurled an imprecation at the hero before vanishing into the shadows.

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Word origin

From Latin imprecari — in- ("upon") + precari ("to pray or beg"). Originally meant to pray for harm upon someone.

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Imprecation is a formal noun for a curse. Its plural is imprecations, as in muttered imprecations.

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Imprecation

/ˌɪmprɪˈkeɪʃən/ (Noun)

“Formal: an imprecation is a curse. The plural imprecations is useful when describing someone muttering or shouting curses.”

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