The Greek noun ara means a curse, an imprecation, a prayer for evil to fall on someone. In classical Greek it could denote prayer generally, but in biblical usage it is consistently negative — a formal utterance invoking divine judgment or disaster on a person or group. It appears in Romans 3:14 in a catena of OT quotations.
Romans 3:14 — 'Their mouths are full of cursing (ara) and bitterness' — is drawn from Psalm 10:7 (LXX 9:28), part of Paul's comprehensive indictment of all humanity's sinfulness (Romans 3:10-18). The ara of the unregenerate tongue reveals the corruption of the heart: speech that should bless instead curses. James 3:9-10 echoes: 'With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.' The gospel reverses the curse: Christ became a curse for us (Galatians 3:13, katara) so that the blessing of Abraham might come to all nations.