English
imprecation
Imprecation comes from Latin imprecātiō ‘calling down of curses’, from precor ‘to beseech, beg, pray, entreat, supplicate,…’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *preḱ- ‘to ask’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*preḱ-‘to ask’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*preksreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprex‘prayer’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEprecor‘to beseech, beg, pray, entreat, supplicate, request’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEimprecor‘call down, invoke’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEimprecātiō‘calling down of curses’
- Englishearliest quotation 1679imprecation
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*preḱ-‘to ask’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*preksreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprex‘prayer’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEprecor‘to beseech, beg, pray, entreat, supplicate, request’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEimprecor‘call down, invoke’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEimprecātiō‘calling down of curses’
- Englishearliest quotation 1679imprecation
Earliest quotation: 1679, John Dryden, Oedipus: A Tragedy. […]: “Hear then this dreadful imprecation; hear it: / 'Tis…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *preḱ- ‘to ask’
arrogant, arrogance, derogatory, prerogative, postulate, derogation, 25 more
through Latin prex ‘prayer’
prayer, pray, precarious, 9 more
through Latin precor ‘to beseech, beg, pray, entreat, supplicate,…’
Today it means
noun The act of imprecating, or invoking evil upon someone; a prayer that a curse or calamity may befall someone.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *preḱ- / imprecation