Game theory

Entry thirty-nine is la maledizione del vincitore, and the first noun is built out of two ordinary Latin words that English can no longer hear. Behind it stands the verb maledire, from male dicere, to speak ill of somebody, and it still conjugates like dire itself: maledico, maledetto, maledissero. Its twin is benedire, bene dicere, to speak well, which gives la benedizione and benedetto. So Italian carries a matched pair, one word for saying good over a person and one for saying ill, differing by a single syllable, and both of them about speech rather than about fate. English has nothing of the kind. « Curse » and « bless » come from two unrelated roots, so they stand side by side with no family resemblance, and neither of them says anything about talking. That is worth holding on to when the phrase is read: our « curse » suggests something laid on the winner from outside, while the Italian noun keeps the older picture of words spoken over a head.