anathema

anathema

1. The meaning has changed over several centuries of use. Originally a Greek word meaning ‘a thing dedicated’ it then came to mean ‘a thing dedicated to evil; an accursed thing’ and then, in the context of the Christian Church, ‘the act or formula of consigning to damnation’, in which use it is still found with historical reference; the plural is anathemas (e.g.

• The pope had ended the Council with two final anathemas which were intimately connected with Anselm's situation —R. W. Southern, 1990).

2. Its use as a quasi-adjective meaning ‘accursed’ and in weakened senses ‘intolerable’, often followed by to, dates from the 18c. It is used in predicative position only (after a verb) and is arguably a kind of uncountable noun (similar to pleasure):

• The policy they embraced was however anathema to many Conservatives, who rightly saw in it the beginning of the end of British rule in India —Roy Jenkins, 1988

• This leads very quickly to the ‘hoping something turns up’ syndrome which is anathema to most managers —J. Harvey-Jones, 1988

• Waif look is anathema to fashion house —headline in Times, 2007.