anathematize

****************************************************************
Attention word gurus:  try WORD SWEEP!, the first board game to feature =
Merriam-Webster definitions! Available at Borders Bookstores.
http://www.wordsweep.com
****************************************************************

The Word of the Day for January 10 is:=20

anathematize   \uh-NATH-uh-muh-tyze\   verb
          : curse, denounce

Example sentence:
          The biography presents a balanced account of the life of a wri=
ter whose work was beloved by the masses and anathematized by critics.

Did you know?
          When 16th-century English speakers needed a verb meaning "to c=
ondemn by anathema" (that is, by an official curse from church authority=
), "anathematize" proved to be just the right word. But "anathematize" d=
idn't originate in English as a combination of the noun "anathema" and t=
he suffix "-ize." Rather, our verb is based on forebears in Late Latin (=
"anathematizare") and Greek ("anathematizein"). "Anathematize" can still=
 indicate solemn, formal condemnation, but today it can also have milder=
 applications. The same is true of "anathema," which now often means sim=
ply "a vigorous denunciation."





You Are Subscribed As: [email protected]

To unsubscribe, please click here:
http://www.drhinternet.net/mw/u/966408/568f14b4ab4f050b/N420L6

To change your e-mail address or to subscribe to the html
version of Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day, featuring audio
pronunciations, please visit:
http://mw.drhinternet.net/sm/wod/changeofaddress.iphtml

(c) 2007 by Merriam-Webster, Incorporated

Merriam-Webster, Inc.
47 Federal Street
P.O. Box 281
Springfield, MA 01102