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imprecor

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word imprecor

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
70–19 BC, Virgil
Ultimate origin
Latin prex
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin precor
Italian prego
Latin imprecor
From the same root
Latin comprecor ← precor
Latin deprecor ← precor
Latin precatio ← precor

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ˈɪm.prɛ.kɔr][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈim.pre.kor][1]

Forms

imprecor (present infinitive imprecārī, perfect active imprecātus sum); first conjugation, deponent[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin in- + precor (“to pray, beg”).[2][3][1] De Vaan treats precor under the noun prex (“prayer, request”), which goes back to Proto-Italic *prek- and Proto-Indo-European *preḱ- (“question”).[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Lewis and Short think it perhaps not older than Augustus.[5] Its first use in the OLD and Conte is in Virgil's Aeneid, in a curse: lītora lītoribus contrāria, fluctibus undās imprecor, “I call down shores opposed to shores, waves against waves”.[2][6]

Semantic evolution

It was used for calling down evil far more than good:[5] Seneca has wishing someone an unlucky voyage, Pliny the Elder dire punishments, Tacitus curses on Tiberius, and Suetonius death.[3][6] With bene it could also mean to bless,[2] as in Petronius,[6] and Apuleius uses it of wishing someone good health after a sneeze.[2][5] Jerome uses it of wishing someone many years.[5][3]

It also meant to call on the gods in prayer, as in Hyginus' Fabulae, Apuleius and Jerome.[2][7] Ecclesiastical Latin kept both senses, invoking good or evil on someone, and cursing.[8] English imprecation (mid-15th century) comes from its noun imprecātiō, and imprecate (1610s) was formed from that.[9]

Timeline

  • 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it in a curse in the Aeneid.[2][10]
  • before 66 AD – Petronius uses it of good wishes.[6][10]
  • 98–115 AD – Tacitus uses it of curses on Tiberius.[6][10]
  • c. 125–175 AD – Apuleius uses it of wishing someone health after a sneeze.[2][10]
  • c. 383–419/420 AD – Jerome uses it of praying to God and of wishing someone many years.[7][5][10]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To call down (evils) upon someone, imprecate;[2][5][3] (absolute) to utter curses.[2][5][3]
  2. To wish (good things) for someone; with bene, to bless.[2][6]
  3. To call on (the gods) in prayer.[2][7]

Word family

  • imprecātiō

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  4. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c d e f Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
  7. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  8. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  9. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  10. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
Cite this entry

“Imprecor.” Etymologically, 21 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/imprecor. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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