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Anathema

By grrlscientist on December 4, 2006.

Here is another fine word from The Republican War on Science, by my friend and fellow SciBling, Chris Mooney. This book was recently released in the more affordable trade paperback. If you haven't read this book yet, now is the time (I've read it once already in hard-cover, but never reviewed it, so I am going to rectify that oversight in the near future by reviewing this updated paperback).

Anathema (uh-NATH-uh-muh) [Origin: Lation, from Greek: a thing accursed, devoted to evil, originally . devoted, equivalent to ana(ti)thé(nai) to set up + -ma n. suffix)]

noun

  1. a person or thing detested or loathed: That subject is anathema to him.
  2. a person or thing accursed or consigned to damnation or destruction.
  3. a formal ecclesiastical curse involving excommunication.
  4. any imprecation of divine punishment.
  5. a curse; execration.

Usage: But when the document emerged in early 2003, Kumanyika suddenly found her integrity challemged. For participating in a scientific process that produced an official recommendation to "eat less" -- a concept that is anathema to many food companies -- she became a victim in out nation's politicized battle over the science of obesity and its causes.

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