imprecate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
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(intr) to swear, curse, or blaspheme
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(tr) to invoke or bring down (evil, a curse, etc)
to imprecate disaster on the ship
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(tr) to put a curse on
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of imprecate
First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin imprecātus, past participle of imprecārī “to invoke, pray to or for,” equivalent to im- “in” + prec- “pray” + -ātus past participle suffix; see origin at im- 1, pray, -ate 1
Explanation
To imprecate is to deliver a curse or verbally attack someone. You might imprecate a curse against a rival sports team, or even against a sibling. The verb imprecate is an old-fashioned way to say "curse," meaning either to wish harm or evil on someone, or simply to swear at them. If you're mad enough to say, "Curse you!" or "May your bed be full of fleas!" when your brother annoys you, you imprecate him. The Latin root is imprecationem, "an invoking of evil," from imprecari, "invoke or call down upon."
Vocabulary lists containing imprecate
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Daughter, to thy father go back with good cheer; nor imprecate swift death upon us, nor let choler shake thy bosom.
From The Danish History, Books I-IX by Saxo, Grammaticus
To be a thorough expert in dog-training a man must be able to imprecate freely and with considerable variety in at least three different languages.
From The Great Lone Land A Narrative of Travel and Adventure in the North-West of America by Butler, William Francis
At other times he would imprecate maledictions upon his head, and curse him as her destroyer.
From The Vampyre; a Tale by Polidori, John William
"I know his features," he exclaimed with indignation: "I assert his innocence; and I imprecate the same, a juster fate, against the authors of his death."
From History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire — Volume 5 by Milman, Henry Hart
Wherefore at once my faith, my hope, my fire My soul doth imprecate, ere she expire.
From The Decameron, Volume I by Rigg, J. M. (James Macmullen)
His defiance of Earl Grey was pronounced nearly the same time that he imprecated vengeance on the Sydney democracy.
From The History of Tasmania , Volume II by West, John
I have undone them all, and will know no comfort—Then letting go his hold, and falling upon his knees, he imprecated curses on himself.
From The Gamester (1753) by Peake, Charles H.
Together they broke a gold coin, of which each wore a half, and solemnly called upon God to witness them plighting their troth, and together imprecated dreadful evils upon the one who should prove faithless.
From Stories of the Border Marches by Lang, Jeanie
In the station men wept and imprecated in their despair—twice they tried to go to the rescue of the beleaguered men, but could not reach them.
From Rose of Dutcher's Coolly by Garland, Hamlin
What I said, spoke, begged, or imprecated, Heaven knows—not I. But they stirred not!
From Charles O'Malley, The Irish Dragoon, Volume 2 by Lever, Charles James
He throws effort into this record, whining, yammering, imprecating, imitating himself fabulously.
From New York Times ● Sep. 19, 2011
Thousands of pleading, imprecating letters from cloak-and-suit men the country over forced him to change his mind.
From Time Magazine Archive
The young couple broke a piece of gold together, and pledged their troth in the most solemn manner, the young lady, it is said, imprecating dreadful evils on herself should she break her plighted faith.
From Strange Pages from Family Papers by Dyer, T. F. Thiselton (Thomas Firminger Thiselton)
By imprecating unhallowed curses on the royal family.
From The Tragedies of Euripides, Volume I. by Euripides
This I removed, mentally imprecating the rogue of a red squirrel.
From Birds and Bees, Sharp Eyes and Other Papers by Burroughs, John
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
