thumb|A mention of anathema in the Southwick Codex, a medieval text in Old English In 1526, the word anathema appeared in modern English for the first time and was used in the sense of "something accursed". The "consecrated object" meaning was also adopted a short time later, but is no longer widely used. Its most common modern usage is in secular contexts where it is used to mean something or someone that is detested or shunned.
thumb|A mention of anathema in the Southwick Codex a medieval text in Old English In 1526 the word anathema appeared in modern English for the first ,time and was used in the sense of "something accursed". The "consecrated object" meaning was also adopted a short time later, but is no longer widely used. Its most common modern usage is in secular contexts where it is used to mean something or someone that is detest,ed or shunned.