execrate

English

Etymology

From Latin exsecrārī, execrārī, from ex (“out”) + sacrāre (“to consecrate, declare accursed”).

Verb

execrate (third-person singular simple present execrates, present participle execrating, simple past and past participle execrated)

1. (transitive) to feel loathing for; to abhor
   • 1932, Edwin Arlington Robinson, Nicodemus, "Prodigal Son":

     And were I not a thing for you and me

     To execrate in angish, you would be

     As indigent a stranger to surprise,

     I fear, as I was once, and as unwise.

2. (transitive) to declare to be hateful or abhorrent; to denounce

   Synonyms: anathematize, comminate, curse, damn, imprecate, maledict, obdurate

3. (intransitive, archaic) to invoke a curse; to curse or swear
   • 1914, James Joyce, Dubliniers, "Counterparts":

     He longed to execrate aloud, to bring his fist down on something violently.

Derived terms

• execrable
• execration
• execrative
• execratory

 

Related terms

etymologically related

• consecrate
• desecrate

Translations

to feel loathing for

• Bulgarian: отвращавам се (otvraštavam se)
• French: exécrer (fr)
• German: verabscheuen (de)

• Latin: exsecror
• Spanish: execrar (es)

to declare to be hateful or abhorrent; denounce

• Latin: exsecror

• Spanish: execrar (es)

(archaic) to invoke a curse

• Bulgarian: проклинам (bg) (proklinam)

Further reading

• execrate in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• execrate in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• execrate at OneLook Dictionary Search
• “execrate” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2001–2019.

Anagrams

• excetera, excreate

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Latin

Participle

exēcrāte

1. vocative masculine singular of exēcrātus