curse
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /kɜːs/
ipa: /kɝs/
rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)s
Forms: form: curses
Etymology: From Middle English curse, kors, cors, curs, from Old English cors, curs (“curse”), of unknown origin.
Senses: examples: text: If ye will not heare, and if yee will not lay it to heart, to giue glory vnto my name, saith the Lord of hostes; I will euen send a curse vpon you, and will curse your blessings: yea, I haue cursed them already, because yee doe not lay it to heart.
ref: 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Malachi 2:2:
text: Oh Portius, is there not some choſen Curſe,
Some hidden Thunder in the Stores of Heav’n,
Red with uncommon Wrath, to blaſt the Man
Who owes his Greatneſs to his Country’s Ruin?
ref: 1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, →OCLC, Act I, scene i, page 2:
synonyms: ban
hex
jinx
malediction
glosses: A supernatural detriment or hindrance; a bane.
synonyms: anathema
malediction
glosses: A prayer or imprecation that harm may befall someone.
examples: text: The common curſe of mankinde, Folly and Ignorance[…]
ref: c. 1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, The Famous Historie of Troylus and Cresseid. […] (First Quarto), London: […] G[eorge] Eld for R[ichard] Bonian and H[enry] Walley, […], published 1609, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii]:
synonyms: affliction
plague
glosses: The cause of great harm, evil, or misfortune; that which brings evil or severe affliction; torment.
examples: text: Swearing doesn't just mean what we now understand by "dirty words". It is entwined, in social and linguistic history, with the other sort of swearing: vows and oaths. Consider for a moment the origins of almost any word we have for bad language – "profanity", "curses", "oaths" and "swearing" itself.
ref: 2013 June 14, Sam Leith, “Where the profound meets the profane”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 1, page 37:
synonyms: word: cussword
word: expletive
word: bad word
word: curse
word: curse word
word: cuss
word: cussword
word: dirty word
word: expletive
word: foul word
word: four-letter word
word: malediction
word: oath
word: obscenity
word: profanity
word: swear
word: vulgarity
glosses: A vulgar epithet.
synonyms: word: courses
word: period
word: Aunt Flo
word: Aunt Frieda
word: Aunt Rose
word: blob
word: blood sports
word: Bloody Mary
word: blowjob week
word: breaching the beaver dam
word: catamenia
word: caught short
word: Charlie
word: closed for maintenance
word: come crook
word: country cousin
word: crimson tide
word: crimson wave
word: curse
word: curse of Eve
word: curse of Tom
word: dropping clots
word: entertaining the general
word: fallen to the Communists
word: fall off the roof
word: flowers
word: flashing the red flag
word: flying baker
word: flying the red flag
word: friend
word: grandma George
word: granny
word: granny grunts
word: have the painters in
word: have one's moons
word: have the rag on
word: high tide
word: holy week
word: illness
word: in the red tent
word: Jennie
word: lady problems
word: lady time
word: little sister
word: menstruation
word: menstrual period
word: menstruation period
word: Monica
word: monthlies
word: monthly bill
word: monthly friend
word: monthly period
word: monthly visitor
word: mooncup time
word: moontime
word: mother nature
word: off games
word: old faithful
word: on
word: on a streak
word: OTB
word: on the blob
word: on the cloth
word: on the rag
word: out of order
word: paddling in scarlet waters
word: period
word: poorliness
word: ragging
word: red-headed aunt
word: red-letter day
word: red sails in the sunset
word: riding the cotton pony
word: riding the red river
word: Rita Red Pants
word: shark week
word: so
word: so-so
word: squiffy
word: surfing the crimson tide
word: surfing the crimson wave
word: surrendering to the red army
word: the captain is home
word: the cardinal is home
word: the flag is out
word: the flag is up
word: the Reds are playing at home
word: time for an oil change
word: time of the month
word: Tom
word: Tommy
word: up on blocks
word: woman's week
glosses: A woman's menses.
Derived terms: a blessing and a curse
Assad curse
blurse
commentator's curse
Corsican curse
countercurse
curseful
cursefully
Curselax
curseless
curselike
curse of Cain
curse of dimensionality
curse of Scotland
curse of the ninth
curse tablet
curse word
curseworthy
encurse
generational curse
not worth a curse
not worth a tinker's curse
Ondine's curse
Paterson's curse
Patterson's curse
precurse
resource curse
tinker's curse
Undine's curse
winner's curse
Zelenskyy curse