accursed

WOTD – 31 August 2008    

English

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: /əˈkəː.sɪd/, /əˈkəːst/
• (US) IPA: /ə.ˈkɝst/, /əˈkɝ.sɪd/

• Audio (US)

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Adjective

accursed (comparative more accursed, superlative most accursed)

1. (prenominal) Hateful; detestable.
   • ca. 1789, William Blake, "Tiriel",

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

   • 1819, Walter Scott, Ivanhoe, Chapter 35,

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

2. (archaic, theology) Doomed to destruction or misery; cursed; anathematized.
   • 1885, Charles Abel Heurtley (translator), 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 Brother Karamazov, Book III, Chapter 7,

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

Synonyms

• (hateful, detestable): execrable, damnable

Derived terms

• accursedly
• accursedness

Translations

hateful

• Bulgarian: проклет (bg) (proklet)
• Esperanto: malbenita (eo)
• Finnish: kirottu (fi), mokoma (fi)

• French: (also as attributes) fichu, satanée, détestable
• Greek: επάρατος (el) (epáratos) m, καταραμένος (el) (kataraménos) m

archaic, theology: cursed

• Bengali: অভিশপ্ত (bn), শাপগ্রস্ত (bn)
• Bulgarian: прокълнат (bg) (prokǎlnat)
• Finnish: kirottu (fi)

• French: maudit (fr)
• Greek: επάρατος (el) (epáratos) m, καταραμένος (el) (kataraménos) m, επικατάρατος (el) (epikatáratos) m

Verb

accursed

1. simple past tense and past participle of accurse

Anagrams

• cardecus