Cura

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A Latin term often used to denote careful attention or concern; a state of mental or emotional worry; a responsibility or duty to care for someone or something
2. Refers to an act of tending to or nurturing with careful regard; a feeling of anxiety or solicitude for another’s well-being; the charge or stewardship over a person or task
3. Signifies a deliberate focus or mindfulness towards something; a sense of apprehension or unease about a matter; an obligation to oversee or provide for the needs of others

Etymology: In Latin, "cura" carried both the care you lavish on someone and the worry that keeps you awake over them. Its core sense was attentive concern, and the same word could describe the stewardship of a task or a person. That charge of responsibility survives in English. A "curate" was originally someone entrusted with the cure of souls, the spiritual care of a parish. "Secure" comes from "securus," meaning "without care," so to be secure is to be free of the worry that cura describes. "Curious" comes from "curiosus," an adjective for careful attention that later shifted toward eager inquiry. English "cure" descends from the same Latin root, through Old French. Its medical sense of healing grew from the idea of careful treatment, so a cure is, in origin, a form of tending to someone.

Synonyms: care, treatment, therapy, healing

Antonyms: neglect, harm, injury