malediction
Meaninga speaking ill
Common meaning: a curse
- malbad; badlyLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 1104 · scan
- dictto say, speakLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 570 · scan
- ionnoun ending: act or result
‘bad’ + ‘to say, speak’ → malediction
Journey through time
- mal — Latin malus; male “bad; badly” (path traced)
- dict — Latin dīcō, dīxī, dictum “to say, speak” (path traced)
Parts join in French as malediction.
- Latinmalus; male + dīcō, dīxī, dictum‘bad + to say, speak’
- Frenchmalediction
- Englishmalediction‘a curse’ · today
mal also in: maladymalicemaliciousmalevolent
dict also in: dictatedictiondictionarypredictverdict
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: not available. Respelling: generated.
- US IPA: not available. Respelling: generated.
Origin: Built on Latin malus; male ‘bad; badly’ + Latin dīcō ‘to say, speak’.
Did you know (Benediction and malediction…): our wording, based on Lewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), entry dīcō, p. 570 · dictionary scan
Did you know (Latin malus, "bad",…): our wording, based on Lewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), entry malus, p. 1104 · dictionary scan
Roots
- dīcō, dīxī, dictum Latin “to say, speak”
- malus; male Latin “bad; badly”
Related words
Building blocks are an automatic split · open in app