malediction

noun

mal·e·dic·tion ˌma-lə-ˈdik-shən

Synonyms of malediction

: curse, execration

I taunted him, ridiculed him, and loaded him with maledictions—Sir Walter Scott

maledictory

ˌma-lə-ˈdik-t(ə-)rē

adjective

Did you know?

Malediction, which at one time could also refer to slander or to the condition of being reviled or slandered, derives (via Middle English and Late Latin) from the Latin verb maledicere, meaning "to speak evil of" or "to curse." "Maledicere," in turn, was formed by combining the Latin words male, meaning "badly," and "dicere," "to speak" or "to say." You may recognize both of those component parts, as each has made a significant contribution to the English language. "Male" is the ancestor of such words as "malady," "malevolent," and "malign"; "dicere" gives us "contradict," "dictate," "diction," "edict" and "prediction," just to name a few.

Examples of malediction in a Sentence

the two old women began casting aspersions and heaping maledictions upon one another

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Whatever the reason—gold lust, bad luck, a malediction—the Prince de Conty continues to bring ill fortune upon those in its ambit, even two hundred and seventy-eight years after its demise. —Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 22 July 2024 Without faith, youth is open more to destructive secular influences similar to fatherless children being open to the maledictions of gangs rather than the counsels found in a loving and caring and attentive two-parent home. —Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 27 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English malediccioun, from Late Latin malediction-, maledictio, from maledicere to curse, from Latin, to speak evil of, from male badly + dicere to speak, say — more at mal-, diction

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of malediction was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century