imprecate
verb
im·pre·cate
ˈim-pri-ˌkāt 
imprecated; imprecating
: to invoke evil on : curse
: to utter curses
Did you know?
It may surprise you to learn that a word that refers to wishing evil upon someone has its roots in praying, but imprecate ultimately derives from the Latin verb precari, meaning "to pray, ask, or entreat." Precari is also the ancestor of such English words as deprecate (which once meant "to pray against an evil," though that sense is now archaic), precatory ("expressing a wish") and even pray itself (which has deeper roots in the Latin noun for a request or entreaty, prex).
Dictionary Entries Near imprecate
Cite this Entry
“Imprecate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imprecate. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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