[Aramaic māran athā.]
«Our Lord cometh;» -- an expression used by St. Paul at the conclusion of his first Epistle to the Corinthians (xvi. 22). This word has been used in anathematizing persons for great crimes; as much as to say, «May the Lord come quickly to take vengeance of thy crimes.» See Anathema maranatha, under Anathema.

Webster 1913 Dictionary edited by Patrick J. Cassidy