Malediction, which at one time could also refer to slander or to the condition of being reviled or slandered, derives (via Middle English and Late Latin) from the Latin verb maledicere, meaning "to speak evil of" or "to curse." "Maledicere," in turn, was formed by combining the Latin words male, meaning "badly," and "dicere," "to speak" or "to say." You may recognize both of those component parts, as each has made a significant contribution to the English language. "Male" is the ancestor of such words as "malady," "malevolent," and "malign"; "dicere" gives us "contradict," "dictate," "diction," "edict" and "prediction," just to name a few.
the two old women began casting aspersions and heaping maledictions upon one another
Recent Examples on the WebDespite this Sisyphean malediction, with each call for new proposals, the community still tries to push its boulder back to the mountaintop. Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 2 June 2021 But perhaps the malediction presently heaped upon them will give them pause in the future. Winston Groom, WSJ, 4 Dec. 2018 Their language seemed perfectly suited for songs and maledictions. Linda Kinstler, Longreads, 27 June 2018
Word History
Etymology
Middle English malediccioun, from Late Latin malediction-, maledictio, from maledicere to curse, from Latin, to speak evil of, from male badly + dicere to speak, say — more at mal-, diction