Cursings

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Expressions of anger or frustration that involve invoking a supernatural power to bring harm or misfortune
2. utterances characterized by strong language expressing outrage or disdain
3. imprecations or denunciations spoken with the intent to express strong disapproval or to wish ill upon someone

Etymology: "Cursings" is simply the plural of "cursing," so the word's history is really the history of "cursing." That noun came into English from Old English "cursung," meaning the act of cursing, formed by adding the suffix "-ung" (later "-ing") to "curse." The same suffix turns a verb into a noun naming the action itself, as with "building" or "meaning," so "cursing" began as a plain description of the act of calling down evil. Over the Middle English period the word shifted from the act of invoking misfortune toward the act of using rough or abusive language. The plural "cursings" keeps that sense: it names individual bursts of angry swearing rather than the abstract act of cursing a person or thing.

Synonyms: blessings (antonym), damnations, hexes, imprecations, maledictions

Antonyms: blessings, praises, benedictions, commendations, approvals