anathema
UK[əˈnæθəmə]US[əˈnæθəmə]
n
something or someone that one vehemently dislikes
n
a formal curse by a pope or a council of the church, excommunicating a person or denouncing a doctrine
Morpheme Breakdown
ana
thema
ana
up
thema
something placed
Etymology
The word 'anathema' originates from the Greek 'anathema', meaning 'a thing devoted' or 'an offering set up'. This Greek term was formed from 'ana-' (up) and 'tithenai' (to put), literally describing something placed up or set apart. In early Christian usage, it was adopted into Ecclesiastical Latin to signify something devoted to evil or accursed, specifically a formal excommunication and condemnation by religious authority. This semantic shift from a neutral 'thing set up' to a 'thing cursed and cast out' illustrates how the concept of being set apart evolved into one of being utterly rejected, leading to its modern secular meaning of something intensely detested.
Analysis
Structure: ana (up) + thema (something placed)
ana- (prefix of Greek origin meaning 'up, back, again'); -thema (from Greek 'tithenai' meaning 'to put, to place', functioning as the core noun stem).
Examples
the idea of raising taxes was anathema to the conservative council.
the sect was declared anathema by the ancient church council.
for him, any form of censorship is anathema.