noun
anathema
A formal religious curse or exclusion from a religious community.
The council pronounces an anathema against the disputed religious teaching.
Etymology
The Greek word could name something devoted or set apart. In religious usage, being set apart took on the hostile sense of being condemned or placed under a curse.
More examples
- The historical record preserves the wording of the anathema.
- The bishop threatens the dissenter with anathema.
- Scholars compare the anathemas issued by successive councils.
Forms
anathema · anathemas
Similar words
- excommunication
- Specifically excludes a person from a religious community.
- curse
- Broader; need not be formally pronounced by religious authority.