Lecture 7: Wicked Words

Wicked Words

Lecture 7

A

ccording to the Irish political theorist and philosopher Edmund

Burke, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good

men to do nothing.” Just as there are many types and degrees of

evil, there are also many words in English to describe various aspects of

wickedness. In this lecture, we’ll learn some of them. We’ll also answer

some intriguing questions about wicked words: Would you want to be called

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Finally, would a secret plot to overthrow a benevolent queen, a plot that

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Malediction (noun)

A curse; evil talk about someone; slander.

z 7KH¿UVWWKUHHOHWWHUVRImalediction

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from the Latin word malus, meaning

“bad, badly, or evil.” The second

part of the word is diction, which

can refer to the distinctiveness of

pronunciation in speech. In fact, the

Latin root dic or dict means “speak.”

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mal- to the root dict, we get “evil

speech”—a curse.

z The counterpoint to mal- is another

Latin root, bene, which means “good”

or “well.” A benediction is, literally,

“good speech,” an expression of

good wishes. Benediction and

malediction are antonyms.

Benediction often refers to

a short blessing given by an

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of a religious service.

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