curse meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

curse

noun

UK /kɜːs/ · US /kɝs/

Etymology From Middle English curse, kors, cors, curs, from Old English cors, curs (“curse”), of unknown origin.

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.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Malachi 2:2:
Oh Portius, is there not some choſen Curſe, Some hidden Thunder in the Stores of Heav’n, Red with uncommon Wrath, to blaſt the Man Who owes his Greatneſs to his Country’s Ruin?1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, →OCLC, Act I, scene i, page 2:

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“The farm's had a lot of bad luck, you see. Dad thinks there is a curse on the place.” “Most like. Most like,” said Catweazle, gobbling the banana.1970, Richard Carpenter, Catweazle, Harmondsworth: Puffin Books, page 50:

A prayer or imprecation that harm may befall someone.

The cause of great harm, evil, or misfortune; that which brings evil or severe affliction; torment.

The common curſe of mankinde, Folly and Ignorance[…]c. 1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, The Famous Historie of Troylus and Cresseid. […] (First Quarto), London: […] G[eorge] Eld for R[ichard] Bonian and H[enry] Walley, […], published 1609, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii]:

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.2013 June 14, Sam Leith, “Where the profound meets the profane”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 1, page 37:

Dated, Derogatory, Slang, Usually, With definite article A woman's menses.

Derived terms: 33 terms
a blessing and a curse, Assad curse, Assad must go curse, blurse, Celtic curse, commentator's curse, Corsican curse, countercurse, curseful, cursefully, Curselax, curseless, curselike, curse of Cain, curse of dimensionality, curse of Scotland, curse of the ninth, curse tablet, curse word, curseworthy, encurse, generational curse, not worth a curse, not worth a tinker's curse, Ondine's curse, Paterson's curse, Patterson's curse, precurse, resource curse, tinker's curse, Undine's curse, winner's curse, Zelenskyy curse

curse

verb

Etymology From Middle English cursen, corsen, coursen, from Old English corsian, cursian (“to curse”), from the noun (see above).

To place a curse upon (a person or object).

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.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Numbers 22:10–12:
Captain Edward Carlisle[…]felt a curious sensation of helplessness seize upon him as he met her steady gaze,[…]; he could not tell what this prisoner might do. He cursed the fate which had assigned such a duty, cursed especially that fate which forced a gallant soldier to meet so superb a woman as this under handicap so hard.1910, Emerson Hough, “A Lady in Company”, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:

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.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Exodus 22:28, column 1:

To speak or shout a vulgar curse or epithet.

To use offensive or morally inappropriate language.

Then beganne hee to curſe and to ſweare[…]1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 26:74, column 2:
[…]his Spirits heare me, / And yet I needes muſt curſe.1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii], page 9, column 1:

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.1712 May, Statius, “The First Book of Statius his Thebais”, in [Alexander] Pope, transl., Miscellaneous Poems and Translations. […], London: […] Bernard Lintott […], →OCLC, page 29:

Derived terms: accurse, becurse, better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness, cursable, cursee, curse it, curse like a pagan, curse like a sailor, curse like a trooper, curse out, curser, forcurse, outcurse, uncurse

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.

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Conjugation of “curse”, all tenses