Averruncations

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Acts of warding off misfortune or evil through rituals or prayers ; the process of driving away harm or bad luck from a person or place ; ceremonial practices intended to prevent or remove negative influences
2. The performance of rites or spells designed to avert calamity or evil ; measures taken to dispel or counteract harmful effects or threats ; spiritual or magical acts aimed at safeguarding against misfortune
3. Ritualistic or magical interventions to keep away ill fate or danger ; actions or ceremonies to protect against or eliminate adverse outcomes ; the use of incantations or offerings to ensure safety and ward off evil forces

Etymology: "Averruncation" is the plural of "averruncation," a noun meaning rituals performed to avert misfortune. The word is built on "averruncate," a verb whose root is the Latin verb "averruncare," meaning to avert or ward off, from "a-" ("away") and "verruncare," to weed out or remove. The image is literal: the Romans used the verb for pulling unwanted growth out of a field. The noun is formed in English from "averruncate" plus the suffix "-ion," a formation that follows the pattern of many English nouns ending in "-ation." That suffix passed into English through Old French, which in turn took it from Latin "-ātiō," so the ending itself carries centuries of the same grammatical habit.

Synonyms: curses, hexes, jinxes, maledictions, imprecations

Antonyms: blessings, benedictions, praises, commendations, approbations