Anathematizes

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Expresses a formal and strong condemnation or curse against someone or something
2. Pronounces an official or solemn denunciation or banishment from a group or belief
3. Declares someone or something as condemned or cursed by authoritative or religious decree

Etymology: The verb is a third-person singular form, and it traces back to the Greek noun "anáthema," which originally meant something dedicated or set up, such as an offering hung in a temple. Over time the word swung toward its opposite: an object consecrated to a god could be devoted to destruction, and a thing set apart for holy use came to mean something cursed and cut off from the community. That reversal is the heart of the story, since the sacred and the damned share a single root. "Anathematize" is formed from "anathema" plus the English suffix "-ize," which turns a noun into a verb meaning to subject someone or something to the process named. The "t" in the verb is part of the Greek root itself, which appears in plural and related forms such as "anathemata" and "anathematic," even though it does not show in the Greek nominative singular.

Synonyms: curses, condemns