ANATHEMA

Anathema

Anathema was originally used as a term for exile from the church, but evolved to mean "set apart, banished, denounced". The word comes from Koine Greek ἀνάθεμα, meaning "something dedicated, especially dedicated to evil", from ἀνατίθημι , meaning "offer as a votive gift", from ἀνά , meaning "on", and τίθημι , meaning "I put". It originally meant something lifted up as an offering to the gods; it later evolved to mean:

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anathema

Noun

  1. A ban or curse pronounced with religious solemnity by ecclesiastical authority, often accompanied by excommunication; something denounced as accursed.
  2. By extension, something which is vehemently disliked by somebody.
  3. An imprecation; a curse; a malediction.
  4. Any person or thing anathematized, or cursed by ecclesiastical authority.


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: anathema
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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