What does bedamn mean?
"Bedamn" is a rare English verb meaning to damn — that is, to curse, condemn, or consign someone or something to ruin or perdition. Formed with the prefix "be-" attached to "damn," it belongs to the same word family as "condemn" and "damnation," all tracing back to the Latin verb damnare, "to inflict loss upon." The word carries strong negative connotations and an archaic, literary flavor; it is not part of everyday modern vocabulary and is most likely to appear in older texts or in writing that deliberately adopts an antique register. Speakers today overwhelmingly prefer the plain verb "damn." Its participial form, "bedamned," enjoys slightly wider survival as an adjective meaning accursed or confounded, as in "his bedamned luck." For learners of English, "bedamn" is best understood as a curiosity of word formation rather than a word for active use, but it illustrates how English builds emphatic verbs by prefixing "be-" onto existing roots.
verbTo damn; to condemn or curse someone or something, especially to a state of ruin or perdition.
- To damn, curse, or condemn someone or something.
"The old miser would bedamn anyone who crossed him."
"The critics bedamned the play before it even opened."
"He would bedamn any rival who dared question his methods."
Built from the same Latin root that gave us "condemn," this forgotten little verb lets you damn someone in a single prefixed syllable.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bedamn
"Bedamn" is formed within English from the common Germanic prefix "be-," which intensifies or converts verbs, combined with "damn," borrowed from Old French "damner," itself from the Latin "damnare," meaning to condemn or inflict loss. This Latin root also underlies "condemn" and "damnation." The verb arose in early modern English and has since fallen largely out of use, surviving mainly through its participle "bedamned."
How bedamn is actually used
"Bedamn" is rare and archaic in tone; it appears chiefly in literary or deliberately archaic writing. The participial form "bedamned" survives more commonly than the bare verb.
Easily confused with bedamn
"Bedamn" is the base verb form, while "bedamned" is its past tense/participle used adjectivally to mean cursed or confounded.