Definition

Noun: - A look or stare that is believed to have the supernatural power to cause harm, misfortune, or injury to the person at whom it is directed. This belief is common in many cultures and folklore traditions, where the malice or envy of the looker is thought to manifest as a curse.

Usage

The term "evil eye" is used as a countable noun, typically preceded by the definite article "the" or an indefinite article "an." It refers to the harmful gaze itself or to the concept of being affected by such a gaze. - Belief in the evil eye: Refers to the cultural superstition. - To give someone the evil eye: Means to look at someone with malice or envy, intending to cause harm. - To have the evil eye: Can mean to possess the supernatural ability to harm with a look, or to be under the influence of such a harmful look.

Examples

• Noun:
  • She wore a blue amulet to protect her baby from the evil eye.
  • The villagers believed the old woman had the evil eye.
  • He felt a chill, as if someone had just given him the evil eye.

Advanced Usage

• "To cast/put the evil eye on someone": To direct this harmful gaze at a specific person.

  • The superstitious mother feared the stranger would cast the evil eye on her child.

• Conceptual use: The term can be used metaphorically to describe a look of intense jealousy or hatred, even without a literal belief in the supernatural.

  • She shot me an evil eye when I received the promotion.

Variants and Related Words

• Evil-eyed (adjective): Describing someone who has or is believed to have the evil eye, or who is giving a malicious look.

  • The evil-eyed witch was a figure of fear in the tale.

• Malocchio (noun): The Italian term for the evil eye, often used in cultural contexts.

• Nazar (noun): A talisman, often a blue eye bead, used in many cultures to ward off the evil eye.

Synonyms

• Malefic gaze: A formal or literary term for a harmful look.
• Curse: A broader term for a spoken or wished-for harm, which can be caused by the evil eye.
• Jinx: A synonym for a bringer of bad luck, which can result from the evil eye.

Related Phrases

• If looks could kill: An idiom expressing that someone's look was very angry or hateful, related to the concept of the evil eye.
  • When I mentioned his mistake, he glared at me—if looks could kill!

Idioms

• To be under the evil eye: To be suffering from misfortune believed to be caused by this malicious gaze.
  • After a string of bad luck, he was convinced he was under the evil eye.

Noun

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