Anathema

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /əˈnæθəmə/

Definitions

1. Something that is intensely disliked, cursed, or condemned, often for moral or religious reasons
2. A person or thing that is loathed or regarded with extreme hostility, often condemned in a religious or moral context
3. A proposition or individual that is vehemently rejected or abhorred, typically due to its contradictory nature to accepted beliefs

Etymology: In ancient Greek, an "anathema" was something set up in a temple as a gift to the gods. The word came from "anatithenai," meaning to set upon or offer as a votive gift, built from "ana" (upon) and "tithenai" (to place). Nothing about it was negative at first; a dedicated object was simply removed from ordinary use and given to a deity. The meaning darkened as the word passed through religious writing. Greek-speaking writers began to use "anathema" for things devoted to destruction rather than to the gods, and the sense shifted toward something accursed. Late Latin borrowed the word in this sense, meaning a curse, or a person who had been cursed. The Greek usage was influenced by the Hebrew "herem," a term for something set apart for destruction, which helped push the word toward the idea of accursed things, especially in the writings of church authorities. English took the word from Late Latin, and its modern sense of something intensely detested grew out of that ecclesiastical curse.

Synonyms: abomination, curse, detestation, hatred, loathing

Antonyms: blessing, sanctity, admiration, acceptance, love