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malédiction

curse

noun mah-leh-deek-SYOHN Less Common

Usage Note

Malédiction is also used as an interjection ('Curse it!', 'Damn!') in dramatic or archaic registers. It is formed from mal ('bad') and diction related to dire ('to say'), so literally 'the act of speaking ill'. The verb maudire ('to curse') is its verbal counterpart, with the past participle maudit ('cursed', 'damned').

Examples

"Il croyait être victime d'une malédiction."

Natural Translation

He believed he was the victim of a curse.

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