different between curse vs forbid

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /k??s/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /k?s/
• Rhymes: -??(?)s

Etymology 1

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

Noun

curse (plural curses)

1. A supernatural detriment or hindrance; a bane.
2. A prayer or imprecation that harm may befall someone.
3. The cause of great harm, evil, or misfortune; that which brings evil or severe affliction; torment.
   • 1602, William Shakespeare, Toilus and Cressida, Act II, sc. 3:

     The common curse of mankind, folly and ignorance ...

4. A vulgar epithet.
5. (slang, dated, derogatory, usually with "the") A woman's menses.

Derived terms

• curse of Scotland

Descendants

• Sranan Tongo: kosi

Translations

• This translation table is meant for translations approximating the derogatory or strongly negative nature of this term in English. For standard translations, see the translation table at menstruation.

Etymology 2

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

Verb

curse (third-person singular simple present curses, present participle cursing, simple past and past participle cursed or (archaic) curst)

1. (transitive) To place a curse upon (a person or object).

   • Captain Edward Carlisle […] felt a curious sensation of helplessness seize upon him as he met her steady gaze, […] ; he could not tell what this prisoner might do. He cursed the fate which had assigned such a duty, cursed especially that fate which forced a gallant soldier to meet so superb a woman as this under handicap so hard.

2. To call upon divine or supernatural power to send injury upon; to imprecate evil upon; to execrate.
   • 1611, Bible (King James Version), Exodus xxii. 28

     Thou shalt not […] curse the ruler of thy people.

3. (transitive) To speak or shout a vulgar curse or epithet.
4. (intransitive) To use offensive or morally inappropriate language.
   • 1611, Bible (King James Version), Matthew xxi. 74

     Then began he to curse and to swear.

   Synonym: swear

5. To bring great evil upon; to be the cause of serious harm or unhappiness to; to furnish with that which will be a cause of deep trouble; to afflict or injure grievously; to harass or torment.
   • 1703, Alexander Pope, Thebais

     On impious realms and barbarous kings impose / Thy plagues, and curse 'em with such sons as those.

Antonyms

• bless

Derived terms

Descendants

• Sranan Tongo: kosi

Translations

Anagrams

• Cruse, Cures, Sucre, crues, cruse, cuers, cures, ecrus, sucre

Latin

Participle

curse

1. vocative masculine singular of cursus

Portuguese

Verb

curse

1. first-person singular (eu) present subjunctive of cursar
2. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) present subjunctive of cursar
3. third-person singular (você) affirmative imperative of cursar
4. third-person singular (você) negative imperative of cursar

Romanian

Noun

curse f pl

1. plural of curs?

Spanish

Verb

curse

1. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of cursar.
2. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of cursar.
3. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of cursar.
4. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of cursar.

English

Etymology

From Middle English forbeden, from Old English forb?odan (“to forbid, prohibit, restrain, refuse, repeal, annul”), from Proto-Germanic *furibeudan?, from *furi + *beudan?. Equivalent to for- (“from, away”) +? bid (“to offer, proclaim”). Cognate with Dutch verbieden (“to forbid”), German verbieten (“to forbid”), Danish forbyde (“to forbid”),Norwegian Bokmål forby (“to forbid”), Swedish förbjuda (“to forbid”), Gothic ???????????????????????????????????????? (faurbiudan). Related to forbode.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /f??b?d/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /f??b?d/
• Rhymes: -?d

Verb

forbid (third-person singular simple present forbids, present participle forbidding, simple past forbid or forbade or forbad, past participle forbidden)

1. (transitive) To disallow; to proscribe.
   • 1908, Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

     […] the Mole recollected that animal-etiquette forbade any sort of comment on the sudden disappearance of one's friends at any moment, for any reason or no reason whatever.

2. (ditransitive) To deny, exclude from, or warn off, by express command.
3. (transitive) To oppose, hinder, or prevent, as if by an effectual command.

   • a blaze of glory that forbids the sight

4. (transitive, obsolete) To accurse; to blast.
5. (transitive, obsolete) To defy; to challenge.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of L. Andrews to this entry?)

Usage notes

• Especially when talking about a person, the expression is not allowed to is much more common than the very formal is forbidden to/is forbidden from.
• This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive or the gerund (-ing) when the person is mentioned from whom something is forbidden, and it takes the gerund (-ing) when such a person is not mentioned. See Appendix:English catenative verbs. Examples:
  • The management forbids employees from smoking/to smoke in the office. (Active; those subject to prohibition are identified)
  • Employees are forbidden from smoking/to smoke in the office. (Passive; those subject to prohibition are identified)
  • The management forbids smoking in the office. (Active; those subject to prohibition are not identified)
  • Smoking in the office is forbidden. (Passive; those subject to prohibition are not identified)

Synonyms

• prohibit
• disallow
• ban
• veto
• See also Thesaurus:prohibit

Derived terms

• forbiddance
• forbidding

Translations

References

• forbid in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• forbid in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.