Greek · Saints & Blasphemy
ανάθεμα
anáthema
ah-NAH-theh-mah · /aˈna.θe.ma/
Damn / curse it — a formal-flavored malediction.
coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances
Literally
"anathema / a curse (set apart for divine damnation)"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
An old ecclesiastical word (the Church's "anathema," a formal curse of excommunication) that survives in everyday speech as "damn." "Ανάθεμά σε" = damn you / curse you; "ανάθεμα την ώρα" = cursed be the hour (I ever did that). Bar-safe 2, with a slightly literary, grandmotherly ring — it's how an older Greek curses your bad decision. Milder and more folkloric than the γαμώ family, and a nice window onto how deep the religious vocabulary runs even in secular cursing.
Heard in the wild
Ανάθεμα την ώρα που τον εμπιστεύτηκα.
Curse the hour I ever trusted him.
Where it lands
Greece & Cyprus (universal); slightly older-register
Quick answers
- What does "ανάθεμα" mean?
- In Greek, "ανάθεμα" means "Damn / curse it — a formal-flavored malediction.". Literally it's "anathema / a curse (set apart for divine damnation)". An old ecclesiastical word (the Church's "anathema," a formal curse of excommunication) that survives in everyday speech as "damn." "Ανάθεμά σε" = damn you / curse you; "ανάθεμα την ώρα" = cursed be the hour (I ever did that). Bar-safe 2, with a slightly literary, grandmotherly ring — it's how an older Greek curses your bad decision. Milder and more folkloric than the γαμώ family, and a nice window onto how deep the religious vocabulary runs even in secular cursing.
- Is "ανάθεμα" offensive?
- It's on the mild end — 2/5 (Bar-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances.
- How do you pronounce "ανάθεμα"?
- Say it "ah-NAH-theh-mah" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: aˈna.θe.ma.
Related in Greek
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "Damn".
- French Putain ! Damn! / F***! / The all-purpose intensifier — punctuation, really
- German Scheiße! Shit! / Damn! — the all-purpose German expletive
- Italian Cazzo! Fuck! / Damn! / The all-purpose Italian curse.
- Japanese くそ Damn! / Crap! / Shit!
- Korean 씨발 Fuck / fucking hell — the load-bearing Korean curse.
- Polish kurwa Fuck / damn / shit — the load-bearing word of Polish, and its most common comma.
- Portuguese Porra! Damn! / Fuck! — but mostly used as pure punctuation
- Russian Блин! Damn! / Darn! / Shoot!
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