# Anathema



## TheoG

In various Greek songs I've been hearing the word "anathema".  I asked a friend and he said it's _like _"God Damn".  However, I need to know more of the root or history of the word because I see the work "thema" in there and it's misleading me.

Thanks in advance.


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## Δημήτρης

That's what I found in my dictionary.
ανάθεμα<ανατίθημι=αναθέτω
And Wiktionary says something similar
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/anathema

Outside religious context, it's used more or less like "damn" in English.


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## TheoG

Euharisto, Dimitri.


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## MissBehave

"Anathema" is also used in English with a slightly different meaning, but it is from the same root.
You can look it up here:

http://www.onelook.com/?w=anathema&ls=a

In Greek it is frequently used with a pronoun i.e.:
Anathema ton/thn/to 
Ανάθεμά τον/την/το κλπ
Damn him/her/it etc

Additionally, there is the "anathema kai an..." variation, which can be translated as "There's no way" or "I'll be damned".

Anathema kai an tin xanado!
Ανάθεμα κι αν την ξαναδώ!
Τhere's no way I'm seeing her again!

Also "p'anathema" is another variation.

"Π'ανάθεμά το παλιοτηλέφωνο. Παλι δε δουλεύει!"
"Damn the darn phone! It's not working again!"

So many ways to use this word...


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## TheoG

Thank you for elaborating.


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## Δημήτρης

> In Greek it is frequently used with a pronoun i.e.:
> Anathema ton/thn/to
> Ανάθεμά τον/την/το κλπ
> Damn him/her/it etc


I just noticed than in the Cypriot dialect we use not only a pronoun but also the preposition "για".
eg


> Aνάθεμά* το για τηλέφωνο


I have to admit that English swear words are way shorter.

*Actually "Aνά_θθ_εμά_ν_"


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## TheoG

I was listening to the song again on my way to work this morning.  He says, "anathema ta kinita".  It's a song in the style of Cretian music.  Funny.


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## winegrower

Since you're interested at the history of the term, I am adding here some more information. For Eastern Orthodox church "anathema" was tantamount to excommunication and ranked among the worse religious punishements.
As a result the individual was cut-off the christian community and devoted to evil! So the term came to connote curse, malediction. 
With this meaning it appears at the 2nd Zolotas speech (Late Xenophon Zolotas, was a greek politician who adressed an-all american audience-using only greek words! The speeches are famous and I strongly advise them here).


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## TheoG

winegrower, thank you for adding that.  I have learned something new.


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## winegrower

winegrower said:


> With this meaning it appears at the 2nd Zolotas speech (Late Xenophon Zolotas, was a greek politician who adressed an-all american audience-using only greek words! The speeches are famous and I strongly advise them here).


Sorry, can't edit. I think the right word is recommend them!


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