evil eye

n.1. A look or stare believed to cause injury or misfortune to others.2. The presumed power to cause injury or misfortune to others by magic or supernatural means.

evil eye

n 1. (Alternative Belief Systems) a look or glance superstitiously supposed to have the power of inflicting harm or injury 2. (Alternative Belief Systems) the power to inflict harm, etc, by such a look ˌevil-ˈeyed adj

e′vil eye′

n. 1. a look thought capable of inflicting injury or bad luck on someone. 2. the power, superstitiously attributed to certain persons, of such a look. [before 1000] e′vil-eyed′, adj.

evil eye

Also known as overlooking or fascinating this is a worldwide belief in the ability of some people (especially witches) and animals to bring about harm by looking at someone.

Thesaurus

Noun

evil eye - a look that is believed to have the power of inflicting harmlooking, looking at, look - the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually; "he went out to have a look"; "his look was fixed on her eyes"; "he gave it a good looking at"; "his camera does his looking for him"

evil eye

nounAn object or power that one uses to cause often evil events:charm, magic, spell.Slang: whammy.

Translations

evil eye

1. The power believed by the superstitious to inflict harm, injury, or misfortune by a look or stare. They say that the old lady living in the house at the end of the road has an evil eye—if she catches you in her gaze, you'll be cursed with bad luck for a year!2. A hateful, malicious, or villainous look or stare that suggests or is thought to be capable of inflicting harm or misfortune. I saw him giving me the evil eye, so I turned around and walked the other way.See also: evil, eye

evil eye

The power to cause injury or misfortune, as in The tomatoes died shortly after planting-I must have an evil eye. The source of this expression is the ancient superstitious belief that some individuals could inflict harm on others simply by looking at them. Today the term is generally used figuratively or ironically, as above, and also in the form give someone the evil eye, which means "glare malevolently at someone." For example, Helen gave his cat the evil eye, hoping it would stay out of her garden. [Late 1300s] See also: evil, eye

the evil eye

The evil eye is a harmful magical force that is given by looking at someone. Some people said an evil eye had been put on her.See also: evil, eye

the evil eye

a gaze or stare superstitiously believed to cause harm.See also: evil, eye

evil eye, the

The power of being able to inflict harm at a glance. This age-old superstition—the Roman poet Virgil speaks of it bewitching lambs—is in modern times expressed figuratively and sometimes ironically. Edward Bulwer-Lytton used it in The Last Days of Pompeii (1834): “‘He certainly possesses the gift of the evil eye,’ said Clodius of Arbaces the Egyptian.” As for a modern jocular example: “Where house plants are concerned, I seem to have the evil eye.”See also: evil

evil eye

evil eye,

principally Sicilian and Mesoamerican superstition, although it is known in other cultures. According to the Native American version, a person who stares fixedly at a pregnant woman or a child or who is too admiring or physically affectionate with children may produce a malicious effect on their lives, whether or not by intent. In rural Sicily any person or animal was considered vulnerable to the evil eye, and many individuals wore protective amulets or charms to nullify its effects.

Evil Eye

(religion, spiritualism, and occult)

The concept of the evil eye seems to be found universally. It is the idea that someone may be able to negatively influence another person or thing simply by looking at him or her. The person with the evil eye may or may not be aware that he or she is causing harm. In some areas it is said that you have been "overlooked" if you are adversely affected by the evil eye. In Ireland, the term is "blinked." In some areas, the use of the evil eye is termed "fascination."

Fray Martin de Castañega, a sixteenth-century Spanish writer, claimed that the evil eye was actually a natural phenomenon, caused by foul thoughts producing evil emanations from the eye. Other writers of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries agreed with him. The evil eye was recognized by the Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians, and ancient Egyptians from as early as 3,000 BCE.

A glance from one with the evil eye may cause a cow to run dry, chickens to stop laying, a child to become sick, a field to go barren, or even death. It is frequently the unusual eye that is considered "evil." In the Mediterranean and other areas of dark-eyed people, a person with blue eyes is viewed with caution, while in areas of fair-haired, blue-eyed people, a dark-eyed person is thought suspicious. Many socalled witches of the Middle Ages were thought to have the evil eye, and an old man or woman might end up on the gallows based solely on the fact that he or she had a squint, a cast, or a cataract.

Pope Pius IX (1846-1878) was believed to possess the evil eye, as was Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903).

There are many amulets to protect from the evil eye; those of the Greeks and Romans are similar to many available today. Bright blue beads are a recognized defense against the evil eye. So, too, are various hand gestures and carved amulets of those gestures. The Romans' mano pantea is a hand with the thumb and first two fingers upright and the other fingers turned down. The Italian mano cornuta, or "horns," has the first and little finger up and the others down. The mano in fica, or "fig," has all fingers curled down with the thumb stuck between the first two fingers. This last is also a fertility sign, and as a sign of life is a defense against evil.

Doreen Valiente mentions that twining or interlacing knots were also considered a deterrent, the reasoning being that the evil eye would be distracted by the confusing pattern. Valiente says that the elaborately patterned belts traditionally worn by English nurses owe their design to this evil eye defense. She says, "In olden days a good deal of sickness was blamed on to the Evil Eye; so a nurse in particular had to be able to protect herself."

Talismans in the form of frogs and other unpopular creatures were thought effective as a defense, since they would attract the evil eye and draw the power to them rather than to the wearer. Another popular antidote was to spit. This practice was found in ancient Greece and Rome, among other places, and is also found today among Gypsies. Shamrock, garlic, barley, jack beans, red ribbons, and bells are all considered useful in protecting from the evil eye.

evil eye

the1. a look or glance superstitiously supposed to have the power of inflicting harm or injury 2. the power to inflict harm, etc., by such a look

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Synonyms for evil eye

noun an object or power that one uses to cause often evil events

Synonyms

Words related to evil eye

noun a look that is believed to have the power of inflicting harm

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