[syn: curse, cuss, blaspheme, swear, imprecate]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
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]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
imprecate
v 1: wish harm upon; invoke evil upon; "The bad witch cursed the
child" [syn: curse, beshrew, damn, bedamn,
anathemize, anathemise, imprecate, maledict] [ant:
bless]
2: utter obscenities or profanities; "The drunken men were
cursing loudly in the street" [syn: curse, cuss,
blaspheme, swear, imprecate]