paganism

noun

pa·​gan·​ism ˈpā-gə-ˌni-zəm 

1

: spiritual beliefs and practices other than those of Judaism, Islam, or especially Christianity: such as

a

: the spiritual beliefs and practices of ancient polytheistic religions

b

: the beliefs and practices of contemporary religions or spiritual movements based on ancient paganism

2

: a religion based on paganism

3

: the quality or state of being a pagan

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The Uses and Origins of Heathen and Pagan

Heathen is a dated term used primarily of someone who is not religious, or whose religion is not Judaism, Islam, or especially Christianity. It is also sometimes used disapprovingly of someone who is not cultured; this use is also dated.

In current use, pagan is most commonly used of someone who practices a contemporary form of paganism, such as Wicca, making the word synonymous with neo-pagan. But pagan also has meanings identical to those of heathen; in those uses it too is dated. Additionally, pagan has literary use referring to a nonreligious person who delights in sensual pleasures and material goods.

The origins of heathen and pagan are semantically similar. Heathen likely comes from a term for a country inhabitant—in particular, a “heath dweller.” The Latin source of pagan, paganus, originally meant “country dweller” or “civilian;” it was used at the end of the Roman Empire to refer to people who practiced a religion other than Christianity, Judaism, or Islam, and especially to those who worshiped multiple deities. It’s believed that the religious meanings of paganus developed either from the enduring non-Christian religious practices of those who lived far from the Roman cities where Christianity was more quickly adopted, or from the fact that early Christians referred to themselves as “soldiers of Christ,” making nonbelievers “civilians.”

Examples of paganism in a Sentence

the paganism of early Rome

He is a practitioner of Paganism.

Recent Examples on the Web

Up until the 5th century, these types of precious metal amulets typically exhibited influences from other faiths and belief systems, including Judaism and paganism. —Tim Ryan, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024

The non-specific prayer hints at an innate paganism, a murky complexity roiling beneath Ellen’s adolescent purity; that double nature is increasingly manifest in Depp’s performance as the plot advances. —David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Dec. 2024

Modern trans coven leaders are rekindling this charge, fighting transphobia in paganism, and creating covens and magic all on their own. —Emma Cieslik, Them, 1 Nov. 2024

The defense, meanwhile, is hoping to use the placement of the sticks as evidence of their theory the girls were killed not by Allen, but rather in a ritualistic murder, perhaps as part of Odinism, a branch of Norse paganism with a far-right strain. —Zoe Sottile, CNN, 28 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1