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Imprecation vs Swearing - What's the difference?

imprecation | swearing |

As nouns the difference between imprecation and swearing

is that imprecation is imprecation (a curse) while swearing is the act of swearing, or making an oath.

As a verb swearing is

.

imprecation

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • The act of imprecating, or invoking evil upon someone; a prayer that a curse or calamity may befall someone.
  • * 1893 , , Maggie, Girl of the Streets , ch. 10:
    • Her son turned to look at her as she reeled and swayed in the middle of the room, her fierce face convulsed with passion, her blotched arms raised high in imprecation . "May Gawd curse her forever," she shrieked.
  • A curse.
  • * 1839 , , Oliver Twist , ch. 3:
    • Mr. Gamfield growled a fierce imprecation on the donkey generally, but more particularly on his eyes; and, running after him, bestowed a blow on his head.

    Related terms

    * deprecation * imprecate * precation

    See also

    * Article on “imprecation” on Wordmall

    swearing

    English

    Verb

    (head)
  • *{{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.}}

    Noun

  • The act of swearing, or making an oath.
  • * (Daniel Defoe)
    • No man is believed a jot the more for all the asseverations, damnings, and swearings he makes.

    Anagrams

    *