Imprecate

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Imprecate \Im"pre*cate\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Imprecated}; p.
     pr. & vb. n. {Imprecating}.] [L. imprecatus, p. p. of
     imprecari to imprecate; pref. im- in, on + precari to pray.
     See {Pray}.]
     1. To call down by prayer, as something hurtful or
        calamitous.


        [1913 Webster]
  
              Imprecate the vengeance of Heaven on the guilty
              empire.                               --Mickle.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. To invoke evil upon; to curse; to swear at.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              In vain we blast the ministers of Fate,
              And the forlorn physicians imprecate. --Rochester.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  imprecate
       v 1: wish harm upon; invoke evil upon; "The bad witch cursed the
            child" [syn: {curse}, {beshrew}, {damn}, {bedamn}, {anathemize},
             {anathemise}, {maledict}] [ant: {bless}]
       2: utter obscenities or profanities; "The drunken men were
          cursing loudly in the street" [syn: {curse}, {cuss}, {blaspheme},
           {swear}]