maledictology

English

Etymology

From malediction +‎ -ology.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌmælədɪkˈtɑləd͡ʒi/
• Hyphenation: mal‧e‧dic‧tol‧o‧gy

Noun

maledictology (uncountable)

1. The scientific study of insults and curses.
   • 1998, Varadaraja V. Raman, Bālakāṇḍa: Rāmāyaṇa as Literature and Cultural History, page 282:

     For in the framework of maledictology (if one may so describe the science of cursing), when a spiritually evolved person pronounces an effective curse, he loses much of his/her accumulated credits.

   • 2005, Reinhold Aman, Maledicta, volume 10, page 44:

     This unexplored domain of maledictology offers unique possibilities to those nefarious individuals who may desire to convey either erotic, lecherous, licentious or profane and abusive messages.

   • 2008, Ernest W.B. Hess-Lüttich, HimmelHerrgottSakrament! Gopfridstutz! und Sacklzement! Ars Semeiotica, Volume 31, No. 3–4, page 327 [1]

     Therefore, the paper follows the outline given above: (i) maledictology – on swearing and reviling, (ii) from the history…

   • 2012, Paul Convery, Inkhorn's Erotonomicon, →ISBN, page 145:

     maledictology * the study of obscene or abusive language

   • 2014, Bill Van, Message-ID: <billvan-0308CC.23195004022014@news.eternal-september.org> in alt.usage.english [2]

     Reinhold Aman (born April 8, 1936) is a former chemical engineer and professor of German, and the publisher of Maledicta, a scholarly journal dedicated entirely to the study of offensive language, also known as maledictology.

   • 2015, O. V. Moshtak, Linguistic aspect of evaluative category of pejorativeness. Науковий вісник Міжнародного гуманітарного університету. Серія: Філологія 17 (2) (2015): 137-139. [3][4]

     The linguists R. Aman and F. Kinner are called founders of modern science of verbal aggression - maledictology.