malison

English

Etymology

From Middle English malisoun, from Old French maleison, from Latin maledictiō, from the past participle stem of maledīcō (“I speak ill of”), from male (“wickedly, badly”) + dīcō (“say, speak”). Compare malediction.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmælɪzən/, /ˈmælɪsən/

Noun

malison (plural malisons)

1. (obsolete) A curse, a malediction.
   • 1819 December 20 (indicated as 1820), Walter Scott, Ivanhoe; a Romance. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co. […], →OCLC:

     A hide of land I give to thee in my steads of Walbrugham, from me and mine to thee and thine aye and for ever; and God’s malison on his head who this gainsays!

   • 1837, Thomas Carlyle, The French Revolution: A History […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Chapman and Hall, →OCLC, (please specify the book or page number):

     Rascality male and female is prowling in view of him. His fasting stomach is, with good cause, sour; he perhaps cannot forbear a passing malison on them; least of all can he forbear answering such.

Antonyms

• benison

Further reading

• “malison”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

Anagrams

• Osmanli, Soliman, monials, nomials, somalin, somnial

Middle English

Noun

malison

1. Alternative form of malisoun