Where does “accursed” come from?
Accursed comes from Middle English acursed, past participle of Middle English acursen, from Old English ācursian, formed with the prefix Old English ā-.
accursed (English): Hateful; detestable, loathsome; Doomed to...
Definitions
- Hateful; detestable, loathsome; Doomed to...
Ancestry of “accursed”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | acursed | — |
| 2 | Middle English | acursen | to curse |
| 3 | Old English | ācursian | to curse, malign |
| 4 | Old English | ā- | a-; away, out |
| 5 | Old English | ar- | — |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | uʀ- | out, over; off, away |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | uz- | up, out |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | uss- | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | uds- | up, out |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | úd | out, outward |