Beshrewed

Part of speech: adjective, verb

Definitions

1. Cursed or wished evil upon someone, as in an archaic expression of ill will or mild reproach
2. Having been subjected to a curse or a wish of misfortune, a term used in old and formal English writing
3. Wished harm or misfortune upon a person, a rare archaic past form used to express a curse or lament

Etymology: Middle English "beschrewen" meant "to curse" or "to pervert," and it is built from the prefix "be-" and the noun "shrew." The sense of the verb is worth a second look: a shrew was originally a wicked or malicious person, and "to shrew" someone meant to bring a curse upon them. Only later did "shrew" come to mean a bad-tempered woman, so the verb has kept an older meaning than the noun it grew from. The "be-" prefix here works as it does in words like "bewitch" and "belabour," adding the sense of acting upon someone. To "beshrew" a person was to wish them ill, and the past participle "beshrewed" describes someone who has been subjected to such a curse or ill wish.