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Origin and history of imprecate

imprecate(v.)

"call down by prayer" (typically of curses or malevolent desires), 1610s, probably a back-formation from imprecation. Related: Imprecated; imprecating; imprecatory (1580s).

also from 1610s

Entries linking to imprecate

imprecation(n.)

mid-15c., "a curse, cursing," from Latin imprecationem (nominative imprecatio) "an invoking of evil," noun of action from past participle stem of imprecari "invoke, pray, call down upon," from assimilated form of in- "into, in, within" (from PIE root *en "in") + precari "to pray, ask, beg, request" (from PIE root *prek- "to ask, entreat"). "Current limited sense is characteristic of human nature" [Weekley].

*prek-

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to ask, entreat." 

It might form all or part of: deprecate; deprecation; expostulate; imprecate; imprecation; postulate; pray; prayer; precarious; precatory; prithee.

It might also be the source of: Sanskrit prasna-, Avestan frashna- "question;" Sanskrit prcchati, Avestan peresaiti "interrogates;" Latin precari "ask earnestly, beg, entreat;" Old Church Slavonic prositi, Lithuanian prašyti "to ask, beg;" Old High German frahen, German fragen, Old English fricgan "to ask" a question.

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    blaspheme
    "to speak impiously or irreverently of God and sacred things," mid-14c., blasfemen, from Old French blasfemer "to blaspheme" (14c., Modern French blasphémer), from Church Latin blasphemare (which in Late Latin also meant "revile, reproach," hence blame (v.)), from Greek blasphēme
    swear
    Middle English sweren, from Old English swerian, swerigean, "take or utter an oath, make a solemn declaration with an appeal to divinity" (class VI strong verb; past tense swor, past participle sworen), from Proto-Germanic *swērjanan (source also of Old Saxon swerian, Old Frisian
    stir
    Middle English stiren, from Old English styrian, stirian "to move, be or become active or busy, pass into motion," also transitive, "to agitate with a rotating motion (a liquid or mixture by hand or with an instrument), move, change the location of; rouse, agitate, incite, urge;"
    bless
    Middle English blessen, from Old English bletsian, bledsian, Northumbrian bloedsian "to consecrate by a religious rite, make holy, give thanks," from Proto-Germanic *blodison "hallow with blood, mark with blood," from *blotham "blood" (see blood (n.)). Originally a blood sprinkli
    express
    late 14c., "represent in visual arts; put into words," from Old French espresser, expresser "press, squeeze out; speak one's mind" (Modern French exprimer), Medieval Latin expressare, frequentative of Latin exprimere "represent, describe, portray, imitate, translate," literally "
    evoke
    "to call or summon forth or out," 1620s, from French évoquer or directly from Latin evocare "call out, rouse, summon," from assimilated form of ex "out" (see ex-) + vocare "to call," which is related to vox (genitive vocis) "voice" (from PIE root *wekw- "to speak"). Often more or
    conjure
    late 13c., "command on oath;" c. 1300, "summon by a sacred name, invoke by incantation or magic," from Old French conjurer "invoke, conjure" (12c.) and directly from Latin coniurare "to swear together; conspire," from assimilated form of com "with, together" (see con-) + iurare "
    utter
    Old English utera, uterra, "outer, exterior, external," from Proto-Germanic *utizon (source also of Old Norse utar, Old Frisian uttra, Middle Dutch utere, Dutch uiter-, Old High German uzar, German äußer "outer"), comparative adjective from ut (see out (adv.)). Meaning "complete,
    raise
    c. 1200, reisen, "cause a rising of; lift upright, set upright; build, construct, bring into being," from a Scandinavian source, such as Old Norse reisa "to raise," from Proto-Germanic *raizjan (source also of Gothic ur-raisjan, Old English ræran "to rear;" see rear (v.)), causat
    Aries
    zodiacal constellation usually identified as "the Ram," late Old English, from Latin aries "ram" (related to arietare "to butt"), from a PIE root meaning "spring, jump" (source also of Lithuanian ėrytis, Old Church Slavonic jarici, Armenian oroj "lamb;" Greek eriphos, Old Irish h

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