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Anathema
Pronunciation : A*nath"e*ma
Part of Speech : n.; pl. Anathemas.
Etymology : [L. anath, fr. Gr. anath, fr. Gr. Thesis.]
Definition : 1. A ban or curse pronounced with religious solemnity by ecclesiastical authority, and accompanied by excommunication. Hence: Denunciation of anything as accursed. [They] denounce anathemas against unbelievers. Priestley.
2. An imprecation; a curse; a malediction. Finally she fled to London followed by the anathemas of both [families]. Thackeray.
3. Any person or thing anathematized, or cursed by ecclesiastical authority. The Jewish nation were an anathema destined to destruction. St. Paul . . . says he could wish, to save them from it, to become an anathema, and be destroyed himself. Locke. Anathema Maranatha Etym: (see 1 Cor. xvi. 22), an expression commonly considered as a highly intensified form of anathema. Maran atha is now considered as a separate sentence, meaning, "Our Lord cometh."
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913
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