Malediction

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌmæl.əˈdɪk.ʃən/

Definitions

1. A spoken curse or invocation of evil upon someone, or the state of being cursed or damned
2. A verbal expression invoking harm or misfortune upon someone, or a malevolent declaration meant to bring about suffering through speech
3. An utterance meant to bring harm or misfortune through supernatural power

Etymology: "Malediction" is built from two Latin pieces that sit side by side in a way that makes the meaning transparent: "malus," meaning evil or bad, and "dictio," meaning speech or saying. Put together, the Latin "maledictio" was a plain word for a curse, a spoken wish that harm befall someone. The "dictio" element comes from "dicere," "to speak," the same root that gives English "diction," "dictate," and "predict." The word reached English in late Middle English, having passed through Middle French "malédiction" on its way. English borrowed it, keeping the sense of a formal, spoken invocation of misfortune rather than an everyday insult. Its opposite, "benediction," is built on the same "dicere" root with "bene," "well," in place of "malus," so the two words are mirror images: one speaks good over a person, the other speaks evil.

Synonyms: curse, hex, imprecation

Antonyms: blessing, benediction