curse

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“
And the thrush suddenly became a goddess, for her curse was at an end, and flew up likewise to heaven.

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Definitions (36)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (12)

  1. noun An appeal or prayer for evil or misfortune to befall someone or something.
  2. noun The evil or misfortune that comes in or as if in response to such an appeal: bewailed the curse of ill health.
  3. noun One that is accursed.
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Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (12)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (3)

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Examples (50)

  • “Drujan!” She said the word like a curse, her expression hardening. —  Kushiel’s Avatar
  • When we meet the conditions as stated above, our curse is also dead, but it may still have fruit and foliage. —  inJesus :: Online Community :: Last posted message
  • The flea curse was among the milder notations from a Plano resident receiving $211 a week in unemployment benefits. —  chron.com Chronicle
  • I do not like being called a curse--hardly any one does--but I found myself listening to the things which Gorman said about the class to which I belong without any strong resentment. —  Gossamer 1915
  • The curse was applied unto him who had no sin, but only was made sin, or sin laid on him, and therefore the sentence of absolution from the curse is applied unto them who have no righteousness, but are made the righteousness of God by free and gracious imputation. —  The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning
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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

cry ·  oath ·  laughter ·  threat ·  rage ·  sorrow ·  whisper ·  horror ·  abuse ·  exclamation ·  insult ·  prayer

Used in the same contextWord Family

curse:   curses ·  cursing ·  cursed
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (4)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English, from Old English curs.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (3)

  1. from Middle English curs, rarely cors, from Anglo-Saxon curs (*cors, in Benson and Lye, not authenticated), a curse; cf. curse, v. The Anglo-Saxon word is comparatively rare and late, and seems to be Northern. Origin unknown, possibly Seand. It has been supposed to be due to a particular use of an early form of the verb cross, make the sign of the cross, as in exorcism; but this verb appears much later than the Anglo-Saxon termination
  2. from Middle English cursien, cursen, corsen, curse (intransitive, utter oaths; transitive, imprecate evil upon, put under ecclesiastical ban), from late Anglo-Saxon cursian (*corsian, in Benson and Lye, not authenticated), also in comp. forcursian (in past participle forcursed: see cursed), curse; cf. curs, a curse: see curse, n. Cf. accurse.
  3. The same word, with sense, as now popularly understood, imported from curse (and taken as equivalent to damn in similar uses), as Middle English kerse, kers, carse, cresse, cress (the plant), often used as a symbol of valuelessness, ‘not worth a kerse (cress),' ‘care not a kerse,' like modern colloq. “not worth a straw,' etc.
 

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/kərs/
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