Phrase guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
No pronunciation record was provided for this word.
verb
To use the Killing Curse from the Harry Potter series on (someone), causing immediate death.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: ambitransitive, humorous
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To destroy (something).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively, humorous, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Verbalization of the incantation of the Killing Curse in J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. Rowling has stated that it is from Aramaic עַבְדָא כְּדַבְרָא (avda kedavra, literally “what was said has been done”), calling it “the original of abracadabra, which means ‘let the thing be destroyed’”; compare Hebrew עַבְרָא כְּדַבְרָא (avra kedavra, literally “what was said has come to pass”). In fact, a relationship of these terms with abracadabra (of unknown origin) has been suggested, but there is little supporting evidence.
