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Harry Potter Spells – Sectumsempra

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Harry Potter Spells – Sectumsempra

During the next couple of weeks, I would like to explore some spells utilized in Harry Potter. Sectumsempra is a curse created by Severus Snape, the Half-Blood Prince.

Sectumsempra can be broken down into two different Latin words – sectum meaning cut and semper meaning always. Sectumsempra most likely means “always cut.”

In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry casts the spell, then watches in horror as “blood spurted from Malfoy’s face and chest as though he had been slashed with an invisible sword” (Page 522).

5 responses to “Harry Potter Spells – Sectumsempra”

  1. simizat Avatar
    simizat

    Wow this is a really cool post! The scene when Harry uses the spell on Malfoy in the film was really scary in my opinion.
    Simi

    Reply
    1. The Word Explorer Avatar
      The Word Explorer

      Thanks! I didn’t want to put that screenshot on my blog for fear of frightening little kids who may visit! I decided to use a less disturbing picture instead.

      Reply
      1. simizat Avatar
        simizat

        Good idea 🙂

  2. Vijay Avatar
    Vijay

    Thank you Tara. I will try to use it in a sentence 😄

    Reply
    1. The Word Explorer Avatar
      The Word Explorer

      I strongly advise you not to use this in the hospital! 🙂

      Reply

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Hello,

I’m Tara!

My name is Tara and I am a recent graduate of Duke University, with dual degrees in cultural anthropology and political science, and a minor in linguistics. Twelve years ago, I started this blog to share my love of words with others and teach people about the intricacies of etymology and words across our beloved English language!

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