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anathema

Pronunciation: /əˈnaθəmə/

Translate anathema | into Italian
Definition of anathema

noun

  • 1 [mass noun] something or someone that one vehemently dislikes:racial hatred was anathema to her
  • 2a formal curse by a pope or a council of the Church, excommunicating a person or denouncing a doctrine: the pope laid special emphasis on the second of these anathemas
  • literary a strong curse: the sergeant clutched the ruined communicator, muttering anathemas

Origin:

early 16th century: from ecclesiastical Latin, 'excommunicated person, excommunication', from Greek anathema 'thing dedicated', (later) 'thing devoted to evil, accursed thing', from anatithenai 'to set up'

anathema in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of anathema in the US English dictionary

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