Meanings
- cursed; bewitched
Synonyms: ensorcelled, spellbound, under a spell, bespelled, bewitched, charmed, cursed, enchanted
present singular third person maleficiates · participle present maleficiating · participle past maleficiated · past maleficiated
- obsoleteTo bewitch; to harm or curse.
every black dog or cat he sees he suspecteth to be a Devil, every person comes near him is maleficiated
1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLCSynonyms: becurse, effascinate, hex, bechat, becry, beglammer, bespell, bewitch
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectivecursed; bewitched
verbTo bewitch; to harm or curse.
Origin
- Late Latinmaleficiatus
- Englishmaleficiate
From Late Latin maleficiatus, past participle of maleficiare (“to bewitch”).
More words from Late Latin
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
maleficiate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/maleficiate
“maleficiate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/maleficiate. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “maleficiate,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/maleficiate.
Source: maleficiate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.