An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/verdammen

by Friedrich Kluge

verdammen, verb, ‘to condemn, anathematise,’ from the equivalent Middle High German verdamnen, Old High German firdamnôn; borrowed, like other ecclesiastical terms in the Old High German period, from Latin damnâre (compare French damner, Italian damnare), with the prefix ver- to give a bad sense to the word. —