herem means A prohibition enacted by rabbinic authority. It carries an Arena rating of 1466, earned across 8 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, herem ranks #2,084 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #2,460 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words, #2,756 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words, #3,018 of 17,131 for Scariest Words.
Why “herem” is a great word
HEREM — [Noun] A severe, permanent form of excommunication or a ban enacted by rabbinic authority in Judaism; historically, also property devoted to destruction. The term is a transliteration of Hebrew חֵרֶם (ḥērem), meaning 'devoted thing' or 'ban,' a doublet of Arabic haram ('forbidden') and Turkish harem ('private quarters'). Unlike niddui, a temporary, corrective suspension, or anathema, a solemn Christian curse, herem is a total severance—a permanent excision from the communal body. It is the slammed door that is never reopened, the name that may no longer be spoken, the chilling silence where fellowship once hummed: the ultimate price of a covenant that defines its strength by what it casts out.
Etymology
Transliteration of Hebrew חֵרֶם (ḥērem). Doublet of haram and harem.
noun
- A prohibition enacted by rabbinic authority.e.g.“Six months after the Brisker Rav's arrival in 1878, he reinstated the cherem against any changes in the educational system.” — 1998, David Rossoff, “The Battle Cry”, in Where Heaven Touches Earth:
- The exclusion of a person from the Jewish community.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- heter 62% match — Special permission from a rabbi to break a commandment. vs herem →
- kareth 57% match — Extirpation or cutting off, a form of punishment for sin, mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and later Jewish writings. vs herem →
- proscription 56% match — A prohibition. vs herem →
- takkanah 56% match — A law created by the rabbis not derived from Biblical commandments. vs herem →
- shammatha 56% match — The most severe form of excommunication among the ancient Jews. vs herem →
- haram 56% match — A sin. vs herem →
- forbiddance 56% match — An act of forbidding, prohibition; an official edict against something. vs herem →
- anathema 55% match — A ban or curse pronounced with religious solemnity by ecclesiastical authority, often accompanied by excommunication; something denounced as accursed. vs herem →