Word of the Day

: August 11, 2008

anathema

noun uh-NATH-uh-muh

What It Means

1 a : one that is cursed by ecclesiastical authority

b : someone or something intensely disliked or loathed

2 a : a ban or curse solemnly pronounced by ecclesiastical authority and accompanied by excommunication

b : a vigorous denunciation : curse

anathema in Context

Maryam's radical political views are anathema to her more conservative sister.

Did You Know?

Historically, "anathema" can be considered a one-word oxymoron. When it first appeared in English in 1526, it was used to refer to something accursed. Shortly thereafter, however, people also began to use it to refer to something consecrated to divine use -- generally a good thing. Why the contradiction? "Anathema" comes from Greek, where it initially meant "anything devoted" and later "anything devoted to evil." The "consecrated to divine use" sense of "anathema" comes from that earlier Greek use but is not widely used today.