ἀνάθεμα

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From ἀνατίθημι (anatíthēmi, “to dedicate”) and the suffix -μα (-ma).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /a.ná.tʰe.ma/ → /aˈna.θe.ma/ → /aˈna.θe.ma/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /a.ná.tʰe.ma/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /aˈna.tʰe.ma/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /aˈna.θe.ma/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /aˈna.θe.ma/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /aˈna.θe.ma/

Noun

ᾰ̓νᾰ́θεμᾰ • (ănắthemă) n (genitive ᾰ̓νᾰθέμᾰτος); third declension

1. votive offering
2. that which is consecrated or dedicated
   1. something devoted to evil, an accursed thing
3. curse, damnation
4. a sort of dance

Inflection

Third declension of τὸ ᾰ̓νᾰ́θεμᾰ; τοῦ ᾰ̓νᾰθέμᾰτος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ ᾰ̓νᾰ́θεμᾰ tò ănắthemă	τὼ ᾰ̓νᾰθέμᾰτε tṑ ănăthémăte	τᾰ̀ ᾰ̓νᾰθέμᾰτᾰ tằ ănăthémătă
Genitive	τοῦ ᾰ̓νᾰθέμᾰτος toû ănăthémătos	τοῖν ᾰ̓νᾰθεμᾰ́τοιν toîn ănăthemắtoin	τῶν ᾰ̓νᾰθεμᾰ́των tôn ănăthemắtōn
Dative	τῷ ᾰ̓νᾰθέμᾰτῐ tôi ănăthémătĭ	τοῖν ᾰ̓νᾰθεμᾰ́τοιν toîn ănăthemắtoin	τοῖς ᾰ̓νᾰθέμᾰσῐ / ᾰ̓νᾰθέμᾰσῐν toîs ănăthémăsĭ(n)
Accusative	τὸ ᾰ̓νᾰ́θεμᾰ tò ănắthemă	τὼ ᾰ̓νᾰθέμᾰτε tṑ ănăthémăte	τᾰ̀ ᾰ̓νᾰθέμᾰτᾰ tằ ănăthémătă
Vocative	ᾰ̓νᾰ́θεμᾰ ănắthemă	ᾰ̓νᾰθέμᾰτε ănăthémăte	ᾰ̓νᾰθέμᾰτᾰ ănăthémătă
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• ἀναθεματίζω (anathematízō)
• ἀναθεματικός (anathematikós)
• ἀναθεματισμός (anathematismós)

Related terms

• ἀνάθημα (anáthēma)

Descendants

• Greek: ανάθεμα (anáthema)
• → Greek: ανάθημα (anáthima)
• → Georgian: ანათემა (anatema)
• → Latin: anathema
  • German: Anathema
  • → Polish: anatema (learned)
• → Russian: ана́фема (anáfema)

Further reading

• “ἀνάθεμα”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• ἀνάθεμα in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ἀνάθεμα in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)