v. t. [ OE. acursien, acorsien; pref. a + cursien to curse. See Curse. ] To devote to destruction; to imprecate misery or evil upon; to curse; to execrate; to anathematize. [ 1913 Webster ]

And the city shall be accursed. Josh. vi. 17. [ 1913 Webster ]

Thro' you, my life will be accurst. Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } p. p. & a. Doomed to destruction or misery; cursed; hence, bad enough to be under the curse; execrable; detestable; exceedingly hateful; -- as, an accursed deed. Shak. -- Ac*curs"ed*ly, adv. -- Ac*curs"ed*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L., fr. antecurrere to run before; ante + currere to run. ] A forerunner; a precursor. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. circumcursare, -satum, to run round about. ] The act of running about; also, rambling language. [ Obs. ] Barrow. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To utter imprecations or curses; to affirm or deny with imprecations; to swear. [ 1913 Webster ]

Then began he to curse and to swear. Matt. xxi. 74. [ 1913 Webster ]

His spirits hear me,
And yet I need must curse. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Cursed r Curst; p. pr. & vb. n. Cursing. ] [ AS. cursian, corsian, perh. of Scand. origin; cf. Dan. korse to make the sign of the cross, Sw. korsa, fr. Dan. & Sw. kors cross, Icel kross, all these Scand. words coming fr. OF. crois, croiz, fr. L. crux cross. Cf. Cross. ] 1. To call upon divine or supernatural power to send injury upon; to imprecate evil upon; to execrate. [ 1913 Webster ]

Thou shalt not . . . curse the ruler of thy people. Ex. xxii. 28. [ 1913 Webster ]

Ere sunset I'll make thee curse the deed. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. 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. [ 1913 Webster ]

On impious realms and barbarous kings impose
Thy plagues, and curse 'em with such sons as those. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

To curse by bell, book, and candle. See under Bell. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ AS. curs. See Curse, v. t. ] 1. An invocation of, or prayer for, harm or injury; malediction. [ 1913 Webster ]

Lady, you know no rules of charity,
Which renders good for bad, blessings for curses. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Evil pronounced or invoked upon another, solemnly, or in passion; subjection to, or sentence of, divine condemnation. [ 1913 Webster ]

The priest shall write these curses in a book. Num. v. 23. [ 1913 Webster ]

Curses, like chickens, come home to roost. Old Proverb. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The cause of great harm, evil, or misfortune; that which brings evil or severe affliction; torment. [ 1913 Webster ]

The common curse of mankind, folly and ignorance. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

All that I eat, or drink, or shall beget,
Is propagated curse. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

The curse of Scotland (Card Playing), the nine of diamonds. --
Not worth a curse. See under Cress.

Syn. -- Malediction; imprecation; execration. See Malediction. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Deserving a curse; execrable; hateful; detestable; abominable. [ 1913 Webster ]

Let us fly this cursed place. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

This cursed quarrel be no more renewed. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a cursed manner; miserably; in a manner to be detested; enormously. [ Low ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The state of being under a curse or of being doomed to execration or to evil. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Wickedness; sin; cursing. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Shrewishness. “My wife's cursedness.” Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who curses. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cur +-ship. ] The state of being a cur; one who is currish. [ Jocose ] [ 1913 Webster ]

How durst he, I say, oppose thy curship! Hudibras. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ See Cursitor. ] Moving about slightly. [ R. ] H. Bushnell. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ LL. cursitor, equiv. to L. cursor, fr. cursare to run hither and thither, fr. currere to run. See Current, and cf. Cursor. ] 1. A courier or runner. [ Obs. ] “Cursitors to and fro.” Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Eng.Law) An officer in the Court of Chancery, whose business is to make out original writs. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ LL. cursivus: cf. F. cursif See Cursitor. ] Running; flowing. [ 1913 Webster ]

Cursive hand, a running handwriting. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A character used in cursive writing. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A manuscript, especially of the New Testament, written in small, connected characters or in a running hand; -- opposed to uncial. Shipley. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L., a runner. See Cursitor. ] Any part of a mathematical instrument that moves or slides backward and forward upon another part. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Cursory; hasty. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

With a cursorary eye o'erglanced the articles. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ L. cursor, pl. cursores, a runner. ] (Zool.) (a) An order of running birds including the ostrich, emu, and allies; the Ratitaæ. (b) A group of running spiders; the wolf spiders. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Zool.) (a) Adapted to running or walking, and not to prehension; as, the limbs of the horse are cursorial. See Illust. of Aves. (b) Of or pertaining to the Cursores. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a running or hasty manner; carelessly. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being cursory; superficial performance; as, cursoriness of view. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. cursorius, fr. cursor. See Cursor. ] 1. Running about; not stationary. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Characterized by haste; hastily or superficially performed; slight; superficial; careless. [ 1913 Webster ]

Events far too important to be treated in a cursory manner. Hallam. [ 1913 Webster ]

imp. & p. p. of Curse. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ SeeCurse. ] Froward; malignant; mischievous; malicious; snarling. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Though his mind
Be ne'er so curst, his tonque is kind. Crashaw. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. Peevishly; vexatiously; detestably. [ Obs. ] “Curstfully mad.” Marston. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Peevishness; malignity; frowardness; crabbedness; surliness. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. decursio, fr. decurrere. See Decurrent. ] A flowing; also, a hostile incursion. [ Obs. ] Sir M. Hale. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. décursif. See Decurrent. ] Running down; decurrent. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a decursive manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

Decursively pinnate (Bot.), having the leaflets decurrent, or running along the petiole; -- said of a leaf. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ LL. discursio a running different ways. See Discourse. ] The act of discoursing or reasoning; range, as from thought to thought. Coleridge. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A discourser. [ Obs. ] L. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. discursif. See Discourse, and cf. Discoursive. ] 1. Passing from one thing to another; ranging over a wide field; roving; digressive; desultory. “Discursive notices.” De Quincey. [ 1913 Webster ]

The power he [ Shakespeare ] delights to show is not intense, but discursive. Hazlitt. [ 1913 Webster ]

A man rather tacit than discursive. Carlyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Reasoning; proceeding from one ground to another, as in reasoning; argumentative. [ 1913 Webster ]

Reason is her being,
Discursive or intuitive. Milton.

-- Dis*cur"sive*ly, adv. -- Dis*cur"sive*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Argumentative; discursive; reasoning. [ R. ] Bp. Hall. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. ] (Logic) Argumentation; ratiocination; discursive reasoning. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ See excurrent. ] To journey or pass thought. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

[ L. excursio: cf. F. excursion. See Excurrent. ] 1. A running or going out or forth; an expedition; a sally. [ 1913 Webster ]

Far on excursion toward the gates of hell. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

They would make excursions and waste the country. Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A journey chiefly for recreation; a pleasure trip; a brief tour; as, an excursion into the country. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A wandering from a subject; digression. [ 1913 Webster ]

I am not in a scribbling mood, and shall therefore make no excursions. Cowper. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Mach.) Length of stroke, as of a piston; stroke. [ An awkward use of the word. ]

Syn. -- Journey; tour; ramble; jaunt. See Journey. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who goes on an excursion, or pleasure trip. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Prone to make excursions; wandering; roving; exploring; as, an excursive fancy. [ 1913 Webster ]

The course of excursive . . . understandings. I. Taylor.

-- Ex*cur"sive*ly, adv. -- Ex*cur"sive*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ L., fr. excurrere, excursum. See Excurrent. ] A dissertation or digression appended to a work, and containing a more extended exposition of some important point or topic. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. incursio: cf. F. incursion. See Incur. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. A running into; hence, an entering into a territory with hostile intention; a temporary invasion; a predatory or harassing inroad; a raid. [ 1913 Webster ]

The Scythian, whose incursions wild
Have wasted Sogdiana. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

The incursions of the Goths disordered the affairs of the Roman Empire. Arbuthnot. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Attack; occurrence. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Sins of daily incursion. South.

Syn. -- Invasion; inroad; raid; foray; sally; attack; onset; irruption. See Invasion. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Making an incursion; invasive; aggressive; hostile. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. occursus. ] Same as Occursion. [ Obs. ] Bentley. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. occursio. See Occur. ] A meeting; a clash; a collision. [ Obs. ] Boyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. percursor one who runs through, fr. percurrere. See Percurrent. ] Running over slightly or in haste; cursory. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. praecursus. ] A forerunning. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Preceding; introductory; precursory. “A deep precursive sound.” Coleridge. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. praecursor, fr. praecurrere to run before; prae before + currere to run. See Course. ] One who, or that which, precedes an event, and indicates its approach; a forerunner; a harbinger. [ 1913 Webster ]

Evil thoughts are the invisible, airy precursors of all the storms and tempests of the soul. Buckminster. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Predecessor; forerunner; harbinger; messenger; omen; sign. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The position or condition of a precursor. Ruskin. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. praecursorius. ] Preceding as a precursor or harbinger; indicating something to follow; as, precursory symptoms of a fever. [ 1913 Webster ]