Adjacent Words

Curse definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CURSE, v.t. pret. and pp. cursed or curst.
1. To utter a wish of evil against one; to imprecate evil upon; to call for mischief or injury to fall upon; to execrate.
Thou shalt not curse the ruler of thy people. Exodus 22.
Bless and curse not. Romans 12.
Curse me this people, for they are too mighty for me. Numbers 22.
2. To injure; to subject to evil; to vex, harass or torment with great calamities.
On impious realms and barbarous kings impose thy plagues, and curse em with such sons as those.
3. To devote to evil.
CURSE, v.i. To utter imprecations; to affirm or deny with imprecations of divine vengeance.
Then began he to curse and to swear. Matthew 26.
CURSE, n.
1. Malediction; the expression of a wish of evil to another.
Shimei--who cured me with a grievous curse. 1 Kings 2.
2. Imprecation of evil.
They entered into a curse, and into an oath. Nehemiah 10.
3. Affliction; torment; great vexation.
I will make this city a curse to all nations. Jeremiah 26.
4. Condemnation; sentence of divine vengeance on sinners.
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law. Galatians 3.
5. Denunciation of evil.
The priest shall write all these curses in a book. Numbers 5.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger; "expletives were deleted" [syn: curse, curse word, expletive, oath, swearing, swearword, cuss]
2: an appeal to some supernatural power to inflict evil on someone or some group [syn: execration, condemnation, curse]
3: an evil spell; "a witch put a curse on his whole family"; "he put the whammy on me" [syn: hex, jinx, curse, whammy]
4: something causing misery or death; "the bane of my life" [syn: bane, curse, scourge, nemesis]
5: a severe affliction [syn: curse, torment] v
1: utter obscenities or profanities; "The drunken men were cursing loudly in the street" [syn: curse, cuss, blaspheme, swear, imprecate]
2: heap obscenities upon; "The taxi driver who felt he didn't get a high enough tip cursed the passenger"
3: wish harm upon; invoke evil upon; "The bad witch cursed the child" [syn: curse, beshrew, damn, bedamn, anathemize, anathemise, imprecate, maledict] [ant: bless]
4: exclude from a church or a religious community; "The gay priest was excommunicated when he married his partner" [syn: excommunicate, unchurch, curse] [ant: communicate]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English curs, from Old English Date: before 12th century 1. a prayer or invocation for harm or injury to come upon one ; imprecation 2. something that is cursed or accursed 3. evil or misfortune that comes as if in response to imprecation or as retribution 4. a cause of great harm or misfortune ; torment 5. menstruation — used with the II. verb (cursed; cursing) Date: before 12th century transitive verb 1. to use profanely insolent language against ; blaspheme <curse God and die — Job
2:9(REB)> 2. a. to call upon divine or supernatural power to send injury upon <was cursed and fears he will die> b. to execrate in fervent and often profane terms <cursed by future generations unless we act now> 3. to bring great evil upon ; afflict <a land cursed with famine> intransitive verb to utter imprecations ; swear <cursing loudly>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a solemn utterance intended to invoke a supernatural power to inflict destruction or punishment on a person or thing. 2 the evil supposedly resulting from a curse. 3 a violent exclamation of anger; a profane oath. 4 a thing that causes evil or harm. 5 (prec. by the) colloq. menstruation. 6 a sentence of excommunication. --v. 1 tr. a utter a curse against. b (in imper.) may God curse. 2 tr. (usu. in passive; foll. by with) afflict with (cursed with blindness). 3 intr. utter expletive curses; swear. 4 tr. excommunicate. Derivatives: curser n. Etymology: OE curs, cursian, of unkn. orig.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Curse Curse (k?rs), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Cursed (k?rst) or Curst; p. pr. & vb. n. Cursing.] [AS. cursian, corsian, perh. of Scand. origin; cf. Dan. korse to make the sign of the cross, Sw. korsa, fr. Dan. & Sw. kors cross, Icel kross, all these Scand. words coming fr. OF. crois, croiz, fr. L. crux cross. Cf. Cross.] 1. 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. --Ex. xxii. 28. Ere sunset I'll make thee curse the deed. --Shak. 2. 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 barbarous kings impose Thy plagues, and curse 'em with such sons as those. --Pope. To curse by bell, book, and candle. See under Bell.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Curse Curse, v. i. To utter imprecations or curses; to affirm or deny with imprecations; to swear. Then began he to curse and to swear. --Matt. xxi. 74. His spirits hear me, And yet I need must curse. --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Curse Curse, n. [AS. curs. See Curse, v. t.] 1. An invocation of, or prayer for, harm or injury; malediction. Lady, you know no rules of charity, Which renders good for bad, blessings for curses. --Shak. 2. Evil pronounced or invoked upon another, solemnly, or in passion; subjection to, or sentence of, divine condemnation. The priest shall write these curses in a book. --Num. v. 23. Curses, like chickens, come home to roost. --Old Proverb. 3. The cause of great harm, evil, or misfortune; that which brings evil or severe affliction; torment. The common curse of mankind, folly and ignorance. --Shak. All that I eat, or drink, or shall beget, Is propagated curse. --Milton. The curse of Scotland (Card Playing), the nine of diamonds. Not worth a curse. See under Cress. Syn: Malediction; imprecation; execration. See Malediction.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(curses, cursing, cursed) 1. If you curse, you use rude or offensive language, usually because you are angry about something. (WRITTEN) I cursed and hobbled to my feet. = swear VERB: V • Curse is also a noun. He shot her an angry look and a curse. N-COUNT 2. If you curse someone, you say insulting things to them because you are angry with them. Grandma protested, but he cursed her and rudely pushed her aside... He cursed himself for having been so careless. VERB: V n, V pron-refl 3. If you curse something, you complain angrily about it, especially using rude language. So we set off again, cursing the delay, towards the west... VERB: V n 4. If you say that there is a curse on someone, you mean that there seems to be a supernatural power causing unpleasant things to happen to them. Maybe there is a curse on my family... N-COUNT: oft N on/upon n 5. You can refer to something that causes a great deal of trouble or harm as a curse. Apathy is the long-standing curse of British local democracy... = plague N-COUNT: usu sing, oft N of n

Easton's Bible Dictionary

denounced by God against the serpent (Gen. 3:14), and against Cain (4:11). These divine maledictions carried their effect with them. Prophetical curses were sometimes pronounced by holy men (Gen. 9:25; 49:7; Deut. 27:15; Josh. 6:26). Such curses are not the consequence of passion or revenge, they are predictions.

No one on pain of death shall curse father or mother (Ex. 21:17), nor the prince of his people (22:28), nor the deaf (Lev. 19:14). Cursing God or blaspheming was punishable by death (Lev. 24:10-16). The words "curse God and die" (R.V., "renounce God and die"), used by Job's wife (Job 2:9), have been variously interpreted. Perhaps they simply mean that as nothing but death was expected, God would by this cursing at once interpose and destroy Job, and so put an end to his sufferings.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

kurs ('alah (Nu 5:21,23,17, etc.), me'erah (Pr 3:33; Mal 2:2, etc.), klalah (Ge 27:12,13); katara (Ga 3:10,13)): This word as noun and verb renders different Hebrew words, some of them being more or less synonymous, differing only in degree of strength. It is often used in contrast with "bless" or "blessing" (De 11:29). When a curse is pronounced against any person, we are not to understand this as a mere wish, however violent, that disaster should overtake the person in question, any more than we are to understand that a corresponding "blessing" conveys simply a wish that prosperity should be the lot of the person on whom the blessing is invoked. A curse was considered to possess an inherent power of carrying itself into effect. Prayer has been defined as a wish referred to God. Curses (or blessings) were imprecations referred to supernatural beings in whose existence and power to do good or inflict harm primitive man believed. The use of magic and spells of all kinds is based on the belief that it is possible to enlist the support of the superhuman beings with whom the universe abounds, and to persuade them to carry out the suppliant's wishes. It has been suggested that spells were written on pieces of parchment and cast to the winds in the belief that they would find their way to their proper destination--that some demoniac being would act as postman and deliver them at the proper address. In Zec 5:1-3 the "flying roll," with curses inscribed on it "goeth forth over the face of the whole land." It would find its way into the house of every thief and perjurer. But it was not always possible to commit curses to writing, it was enough to utter them aloud. Generally the name of some deity would be coupled with such imprecations, as Goliath cursed David by his gods (1Sa 17:43). Such curses once uttered possessed the power of self- realization. It was customary for heads of families in their declining years to bless their children, such a blessing being, not simply a paternal wish that their children should prosper in life, but a potent factor in determining their welfare (Ge 9:25). in this case Jacob seeks his father's blessing, which was more than his father's good wishes for his future career. Such blessings and curses were independent of moraI considerations. Before moral distinctions played any part in molding theological conceptions it was not necessary, before a spell could be effectual, that the individual against whom the spell was pronounced should be deserving, on moral grounds, of the fate which was invoked on him. It was sufficient that he should be the foe of the author of the curse. We may assume that such curses signalized the commencement of a battle. But in process of time such indiscriminate imprecations would not satisfy enlightened moral judgment. In the dramatic situation depicted in De 11:29; 27:12 f the curse was placed on Mt. Ebal and the blessing. on Mr. Gerizim. But the curse was the penalty for disobedience, as the blessing was the reward for obedience. The Book of Pr 26:2 summarily dismisses the traditional belief--"the curse that is causeless alighteth not." "In the discourses of Jesus we find blessings and curses. They are however simply authoritative declarations of the eternal connection between right doing and happiness, wrong doing and misery" (Cheyne).

Whereas curses by ordinary persons were considered more or less efficacious--some god being always only too glad to speed them on their way to their destination--yet special persons--"holy" persons--in virtue of their special relation to Divine beings possessed special powers of pronouncing effectual curses on account of their powers of enlisting supernatural aid. Balaam, according to the narrative in Nu 22 f, was an expert in the article Balak was convinced that Balaam's curse would bring about the defeat of the Israelites (see Gray, "Numbers," ICC).

The term--and the thing signified--plays an important part in Paul's interpretation of the cross. In the light of the law all men are guilty. There is no acquittal through appeal to a law that commands and never forgives--prohibits and never relents. The violator of the law is under a curse. His doom has been pronounced. Escape is impossible. But on the cross Jesus Christ endured the curse--for "cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree" (Ga 3:10,13)--and a curse that has overtaken its victim is a spent force.

See PUNISHMENTS.

Jesus commands His disciples, "Bless them that curse you" (Lu 6:28; compare Ro 12:14). He Himself cursed the fruitless fig tree (Mr 11:21)--a symbol of the doom of a fruitless people.

Curse as the rendering of cherem, implies a totally different, idea.

See ACCURSED.

T. Lewis

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Execrate, anathematize, denounce, invoke or imprecate evil upon, imprecate, maledict. 2. Blast, blight, doom, destroy, bring a curse upon. 3. Injure, vex, harass, torment, torture, scourge, plague, afflict, annoy. II. v. n. Utter curses. III. n. 1. Malediction, anathema, execration, imprecation, fulmination, denunciation, ban. 2. Scourge, plague, torment, affliction, trouble, vexation, annoyance, bitter pill, thorn in the side. 3. Sentence, condemnation, condemning sentence, ban, penalty.

Moby Thesaurus

Jonah, abuse, accurse, adverse circumstances, adversity, afflict, affliction, aggravation, aggrieve, anathema, anathematize, annoyance, bad influence, bad language, bane, befoul, bewitch, bitter cup, bitter draft, bitter draught, bitter pill, blaspheme, blasphemy, blast, blight, bugbear, bummer, burden, burden of care, calamity, cankerworm of care, cantrip, care, catamenia, catamenial discharge, charm, commination, condemn, confound, corrupt, courses, cross, crown of thorns, crucify, crushing burden, curse and swear, cuss, cuss word, damage, damn, damnation, damning, darn, death, defile, denounce, denunciation, deprave, despoil, destroy, destruction, difficulties, difficulty, dirty name, dirty word, disadvantage, disease, disserve, distress, do a mischief, do evil, do ill, do wrong, do wrong by, doom, downer, dysphemism, dysphemize, enchantment, encumbrance, envenom, epithet, evil, evil eye, evil genius, evil star, excommunicate, execrate, execration, exorcism, expletive, flowers, foul invective, fulminate against, gall, gall and wormwood, get into trouble, glamour, grievance, handicap, harass, hard knocks, hard life, hard lot, hardcase, hardship, harm, hex, hoodoo, hurt, ill wind, impair, imprecate, imprecation, infect, infliction, injure, irritation, jinx, load, magic spell, malediction, malevolent influence, malocchio, maltreat, menace, menses, menstrual discharge, menstruation, misfortune, mistreat, molest, monthlies, naughty word, nemesis, no-no, oath, objurgate, objurgation, obscenity, open wound, oppression, outrage, pack of troubles, peck of troubles, period, periods, persecute, pest, pestilence, plague, play havoc with, play hob with, plight, poison, pollute, predicament, prejudice, pressure, profanation, profane oath, profanity, rigor, running sore, sacrilege, saddle, savage, scathe, scatologize, scourge, sea of troubles, sorrow, spell, stress, stress of life, swear, swear at, swearword, taint, talk dirty, that time, the curse, thorn, threaten, throw a whammy, thunder against, torment, torture, trial, tribulation, trouble, troubles, vale of tears, vexation, vicissitude, vilify, violate, visitation, voodoo, wanga, waters of bitterness, weigh down, weight, weird, whammy, woe, wound, wreak havoc on, wrong