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im·pre·cate

(ĭmprĭ-kāt′)

tr.v. im·pre·cat·ed, im·pre·cat·ing, im·pre·cates

To invoke evil upon; curse.

[Latin imprecāri, imprecāt- : in-, towards; see IN-² + precārī, to pray, ask; see prek- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

impre·ca′tor n.

impre·ca·to′ry (-kə-tôr′ē) adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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