English word origin

Etymology of curse

From Middle English curse, kors, cors, curs, from Old English cors, curs (“curse”), of unknown origin.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

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. · A vulgar epithet.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English curse, kors, cors, curs, from Old English cors, curs (“curse”), of unknown origin.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentioncurseenm
Inherited-form mentioncorsang

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "curse"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English curse"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "cors"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English cors"
    },
    {
      "name": "unk",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "title": "unknown"
      },
      "expansion": "unknown"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
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      "curse",
      "curse#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "kors",
      "kors#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "cors",
      "cors#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "curs",
      "curs#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "cors",
      "cors#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "curs",
      "curs#Old_English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Sranan Tongo",
      "lang_code": "srn",
      "word": "kosi"
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "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.",
        "A vulgar epithet."
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

verb

To place a curse upon (a person or object). · To call upon divine or supernatural power to send injury upon; to imprecate evil upon; to execrate. · To speak or shout a vulgar curse or epithet. · To use offensive or morally inappropriate language.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English cursen, corsen, coursen, from Old English corsian, cursian (“to curse”), from the noun (see above).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentioncursenenm
Inherited-form mentioncorsianang

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
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        "3": "cursen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English cursen"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "corsian"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English corsian"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "cursen",
      "cursen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "corsen",
      "corsen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "coursen",
      "coursen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "corsian",
      "corsian#Old_English"
    ],
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        "To place a curse upon (a person or object).",
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        "To use offensive or morally inappropriate language."
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for curse →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-Y3Vyc2U