The act of imprecating, or invoking evil upon any one; a prayer that a curse or calamity may fall on any one; a curse.

the act of calling down a curse that invokes evil (and usually serves as an insult); "he suffered the imprecations of the mob"

a "curse," and thus reminds us of the power of prayer to both bless AND curse (like magic worked for good ends and magic worked for ill)

a slanderous accusation