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anathemas

Meanings
  • noun

    A solemn excommunication or curse, especially one pronounced by the church against a person who has incurred its wrath.

    - "The anathemas pronounced against heretic were taken very seriously."
    - "The anathemas of the church were a last resort to correct errant behavior."
  • noun

    A person or thing that is detested or loathed.

    - "He considered his former best friend an anathema after their falling out."
    - "The anathema of the town was the old, run-down factory."
Synonyms

ban , curse , bête noire
Rhymes
Words rhyming with anathemas
anemone , catatonia , drones , gargoyles , homonyms , misanthrope , narcissism , paradigm , sarcasm , theophany
Variants
List of all variants of anathemas that leads to same result
anathema , anathemas , anathemata
Etymology
origin and the way in which meanings have changed throughout history.

From the Greek anathema, a solemn imprecation or curse, from anatheemai, to dedicate or consecrate to a god in a curse.

Trivia
Any details, considerations, events or pieces of information regarding the word

  1. The word 'anathema' is derived from the Greek word anathema, which means 'dedicated to a god'.

  2. Anathemas were commonly used in the early Christian Church to excommunicate individuals who were considered heretics or who had incurred the wrath of the Church.

  3. Anathemas have also been used in literature, particularly in works of a religious or moralizing nature.

Related Concepts
informations on related concepts or terms closely associated with the word. Discuss semantic fields or domains that the word belongs to

  1. excommunication: The act of expelling a person from a religious community or denying them the sacraments.

  2. curse: A prayer or expression of wish for harm or misfortune to come upon someone or something.

Quotes
Quotes by authors and personalities

  1. Maugham was not only prolific but also a best-seller, though snobs dismissed his work as middlebrow (a category that few people worry about in our day but that once was "anathema").

    - Edmund White,{it}New York Review of Books{/it},12 Feb. 2009

  2. While everything pointed to an immense flood, Bretz knew such a notion would be "anathema" to his fellow geologists. In part that was because the quantity of water needed for such a flood would exceed the flow of all the world's modern rivers combined.

    - Richard Lovett,{it}New Scientist{/it},21-27 Apr. 2007

  3. For all the artistic wonders it has preserved, the Holy Mountain is not a museum, and the idea of playing host to sightseers is "anathema" to the monks. Male visitors of all faiths are welcome, but they come as pilgrims, not tourists, and only 110 "residence permits" are issued each day by patristic officials in Ouranoupolis.

    - Nicholas Basbanes,{it}Smithsonian{/it},August 1999

  4. Big Jeff was devoted to Purcell. He haunted his room and patiently endured his abuse just to sit in the corner and watch him shave or do push-ups or dress for dinner, and listen to him pronounce his opinions and "anathemas".

    - Tobias Wolff,{it}Old School{/it},2003
Culture
Any cultural, historical, or symbolic significance of the word. Explore how the word has been used in literature, art, music, or other forms of expression.

Anathemas have been used throughout history as a form of religious and moral censure. They were commonly used by the early Christian Church to excommunicate individuals who were considered heretics or who had incurred the wrath of the Church. Anathemas have also been used in literature, particularly in works of a religious or moralizing nature.

How to Memorize "anathemas"

  1. visualize

    - Imagine a religious ceremony where an individual is being cursed or excommunicated.
    - Visualize the words 'anathema' written in ancient script on a scroll.

  2. associate

    - Associate the word 'anathema' with the idea of a religious curse.
    - Think of the word 'excommunication' when you see or hear the word 'anathema'.

  3. mnemonics

    - Remember the first letter 'A' in 'anathema' stands for 'Ancient' and 'Awful' religious curse.
    - Use the acronym 'A Can't Tolerate Heretics And Meanness' to remember the meaning of 'anathema'.

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