anathema
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
From Late Latin anathema (“curse, person cursed, offering”), from Ancient Greek ἀνάθεμα (anathema, “something dedicated, especially dedicated to evil”), from ἀνατίθημι (anatithēmi, “I set upon, offer as a votive gift”), from ἀνά (ana, “upon”) + τίθημι (tithēmi, “I put, place”). The Ancient Greek term was influenced by Hebrew חרם (herem), leading to the sense of "accursed," especially in Ecclesiastical writers.
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Noun
anathema (plural anathemas or anathemata)
- A ban or curse pronounced with religious solemnity by ecclesiastical authority, often accompanied by excommunication; denunciation of anything as accursed.
- An imprecation; a curse; a malediction.
- 2002, Joseph O'Conner, Star of the Sea, Vintage 2003, p. 30:
- That was a curse from which no flight was possible: the anathema of a man who had once known holiness.
- 2002, Joseph O'Conner, Star of the Sea, Vintage 2003, p. 30:
- Any person or thing anathematized, or cursed by ecclesiastical authority.
[edit] Derived terms
[edit] Translations
ban or curse
imprecation
[edit] See also
[edit] References
New Advent: The Catholic on-line encyclopedia.
[edit] Latin
[edit] Noun
anathema (genitive anathematis); n, third declension
- offering (especially the life of a person)
- curse
- excommunication
