= action by which someone invokes the name of a deity and ask him to punish a wrong-doer; contexts in which this may happen include: (1) covenants and agreements, where the deity is asked to punish those who do not obey the terms of the agreement, (2) cases where a supposedly wrongful act has been committed, but where there is not enough certainty about the identity of the person who is responsible, and (3) in order to prevent people from committing a wrongful action, knowing that the deity's punishment will be upon them if they do so; the effectiveness of the curse partially depends on the authority of the one pronouncing it