# anathema

> English word · Noun · IPA /əˈnæθəmə/ · frequency rank #37,317

## Definitions
1. A ban or curse pronounced with religious solemnity by ecclesiastical authority, often accompanied by excommunication; something denounced as accursed.
2. Something which is vehemently disliked by somebody.
3. An imprecation; a curse; a malediction.
4. Any person or thing anathematized, or cursed by ecclesiastical authority to unending punishment.

## Etymology
Borrowed from Late Latin anathema (“curse, person cursed, offering”), itself a borrowing from Ancient Greek ἀνάθεμα (anáthema, “something dedicated, especially dedicated to eternal damnation”), from ἀνατίθημι (anatíthēmi, “I set upon, offer as a votive gift”), from ἀνά (aná, “upon”) + τίθημι (títhēmi, “I put, place”). The Ancient Greek term was influenced by Hebrew חרם (herem), leading to the sense of "accursed," especially in Ecclesiastical writers.

## Easily confused with
- **anthem** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/anathema-vs-anthem)
- **anthems** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/anathema-vs-anthems)

## Common misspellings (11)
`aanthema`, `anahtema`, `anatehma`, `anatheam`, `anathemma`, `anathhema`, `anathmea`, `anatthema`, `annathema`, `antahema`, `naathema`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/anathema