accursed

English

WOTD – 31 August 2008

Alternative forms

• (obsolete) accurst [13^th C.]

Etymology

• First attested in the early 13th century.
• From Middle English acursed, from acursen (“to curse”), from Old English ācursian, from ā + cursen, from curs (“curse”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /əˈkɜː.sɪd/
• (US) IPA^(key): /əˈkɝ.sɪd/

• Audio (US):

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  Audio (US):

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Adjective

accursed (comparative more accursed, superlative most accursed)

1. (prenominal) Hateful; detestable, loathsome.
   • c. 1789, William Blake, Tiriel:

     Accursed race of Tiriel. behold your father // Come forth & look on her that bore you. come you accursed sons.

   • 1819, Ivanhoe, Walter Scott, Chapter 35:

     Lo! they are charged with studying the accursed cabalistical secrets of the Jews, and the magic of the Paynim Saracens.

   • 1885, Richard F. Burton, The Supplemental Nights to the Thousand Nights and a Night, Night 532:

     […] Alaeddin ate and drank and was cheered and after he had rested and had recovered spirits he cried, "Ah, O my mother, I have a sore grievance against thee for leaving me to that accursed wight who strave to compass my destruction and designed to take my life. Know that I beheld Death with mine own eyes at the hand of this damned wretch, whom thou didst certify to be my uncle; […]

2. (theology) Doomed to destruction or misery; cursed; anathematized.
   • c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire, London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act II, scene iv:

     Accurſt be he that firſt inuented war

   • 1885, Charles Abel Heurtley, transl., The Commonitory of Vincent of Lérins, Chapter 8:

     […] —if any one, be he who he may, attempt to alter the faith once for all delivered, let him be accursed.

   • 1912, Fyodor Dostoevsky, translated by Constance Garnett, The Brothers Karamazov, Book III, Chapter 7,

     For at the very moment I become accursed, at that same highest moment, I become exactly like a heathen […]

   • 1955, J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King, The Return of the King/Book V, Chapter 10

     We did not come here to waste words in treating with Sauron, faithless and accursed; still less with one of his slaves. Begone!

Synonyms

• (hateful, detestable): execrable, damnable

Derived terms

• accursedly
• accursedness
• nonaccursed
• unaccursed

 

Translations

hateful

• Bulgarian: проклет (bg) (proklet)
• Esperanto: malbenita
• Finnish: kirottu (fi), mokoma (fi)
• French: (also as attributes) fichu, satanée (fr), détestable (fr)
• Greek: καταραμένος (el) m (kataraménos), επάρατος (el) m (epáratos)

  Ancient: κατηραμένος (katēraménos), κατάρατος (katáratos)

• Irish: mallachtach
• Portuguese: maldito (pt)
• Romanian: blestemat (ro), afurisit (ro)

theology: cursed

• Bengali: অভিশপ্ত (bn) (obhiśopto), শাপগ্রস্ত (bn) (śapogrosto)
• Bulgarian: прокълнат (bg) (prokǎlnat)
• Danish: fordømt (da)
• Finnish: kirottu (fi)
• French: maudit (fr)
• Greek: επάρατος (el) m (epáratos), καταραμένος (el) m (kataraménos), επικατάρατος (el) m (epikatáratos)

  Ancient: κατάρατος (katáratos)

Verb

accursed

1. simple past and past participle of accurse

Anagrams

• cardecus, cue cards