Word of the Day - 09/24/26
malediction
/,mælɪ'dɪkʃən/(n.): the act of calling down a curse that invokes evil (and usually serves as an insult)
The ancient priest pronounced a dire malediction upon anyone who dared to defile the sacred tomb.
Word Origin
The word 'malediction' originates from Latin. It is formed from the prefix 'male-' (from 'malus' meaning 'bad' or 'evil') and 'diction' (from 'dictio', meaning 'a saying' or 'speaking', which itself comes from 'dicere' meaning 'to say' or 'to speak'). Thus, 'malediction' literally means 'bad speaking' or 'evil speaking', evolving to signify a curse.
Words with similar origins include 'malevolent' (malus + volens, wishing evil), 'malfunction' (malus + functio, bad function), 'malady' (malus + habitus, bad state), and 'malice' (malitia, badness). Words sharing the '-diction' root include 'benediction' (bene + dictio, good speaking/blessing), 'dictionary' (a book of words/sayings), 'predict' (prae + dicere, to say beforehand), and 'contradict' (contra + dicere, to speak against).