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Curse vs Accuse - What's the difference?

curse | accuse |

As verbs the difference between curse and accuse

is that curse is while accuse is .

curse

English

Noun

(wikipedia curse) (en noun)
  • A supernatural detriment or hindrance; a bane.
  • A prayer or imprecation that harm may befall someone.
  • The cause of great harm, evil, or misfortune; that which brings evil or severe affliction; torment.
  • * Shakespeare
  • The common curse of mankind, folly and ignorance.
  • A vulgar epithet.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-14, author= Sam Leith
  • , volume=189, issue=1, page=37, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Where the profound meets the profane , passage=Swearing doesn't just mean what we now understand by "dirty words". It is entwined, in social and linguistic history, with the other sort of swearing: vows and oaths. Consider for a moment the origins of almost any word we have for bad language – "profanity", "curses ", "oaths" and "swearing" itself.}}
  • (slang) A woman's menses.
  • Derived terms

    * curse of Scotland

    Verb

  • (lb) To place a curse upon (a person or object).
  • *
  • *:Captain Edward Carlisle; he could not tell what this prisoner might do. He cursed' the fate which had assigned such a duty, ' cursed especially that fate which forced a gallant soldier to meet so superb a woman as this under handicap so hard.
  • To call upon divine or supernatural power to send injury upon; to imprecate evil upon; to execrate.
  • *Bible, (w) xxii. 28
  • *:Thou shalt notcurse the ruler of thy people.
  • (lb) To speak or shout a vulgar curse or epithet.
  • (lb) To use offensive or morally inappropriate language.
  • *Bible, (w) xxi. 74
  • *:Then began he to curse and to swear.
  • *(William Shakespeare) (1564-1616)
  • *:His spirits hear me, / And yet I need must curse .
  • To bring great evil upon; to be the cause of serious harm or unhappiness to; to furnish with that which will be a cause of deep trouble; to afflict or injure grievously; to harass or torment.
  • *(Alexander Pope) (1688-1744)
  • *:On impious realms and barbarous kings impose / Thy plagues, and curse 'em with such sons as those.
  • Synonyms

    * (sense) swear

    Antonyms

    * bless

    Anagrams

    * * * ----

    accuse

    English

    (Webster 1913)

    Verb

    (accus)
  • To find fault with, to blame, to censure.
  • * (rfdate) (Epistle to the Romans) 2:15,
  • Their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another.
  • * (rfdate) ,
  • We are accused of having persuaded Austria and Sardinia to lay down their arms.
  • To charge with having committed a crime or offence.
  • * (rfdate) (Acts of the Apostles) 24:13,
  • Neither can they prove the things whereof they now accuse me.
  • To make an accusation against someone.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-08, volume=407, issue=8839, page=55, magazine=(The Economist)
  • , title= Obama goes troll-hunting , passage=According to this saga of intellectual-property misanthropy, these creatures [patent trolls] roam the business world, buying up patents and then using them to demand extravagant payouts from companies they accuse of infringing them. Often, their victims pay up rather than face the costs of a legal battle.}}

    Usage notes

    * (legal) When used this way accused is followed by the word of . * Synonym notes: To accuse , charge, impeach, arraign: these words agree in bringing home to a person the imputation of wrongdoing. ** To accuse'' is a somewhat formal act, and is applied usually (though not exclusively) to crimes; as, to ''accuse of treason. ** Charge'' is the most generic. It may refer to a crime, a dereliction of duty, a fault, etc.; more commonly it refers to moral delinquencies; as, to ''charge with dishonesty or falsehood. ** To arraign'' is to bring (a person) before a tribunal for trial; as, to ''arraign one before a court or at the bar public opinion. ** To impeach'' is officially to charge with misbehavior in office; as, to ''impeach a minister of high crimes. ** Both impeach'' and ''arraign convey the idea of peculiar dignity or impressiveness.

    Synonyms

    * (legal) charge, indict, impeach, arraign * () blame, censure, reproach, criminate

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (obsolete) An accusation.
  • (Shakespeare)