HEATHENS

[hee-thuhn]

hea·then

[hee-thuhn] noun, plural hea·thens, hea·then, adjective
noun
1.
an unconverted individual of a people that do not acknowledge the God of the Bible; a person who is neither a Jew, Christian, nor Muslim; pagan.
2.
an irreligious, uncultured, or uncivilized person.
adjective
3.
of or pertaining to heathens; pagan.
4.
irreligious, uncultured, or uncivilized.

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Heathens is always a great word to know.
So is ort. Does it mean:
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.

Origin:
before 900; Middle English hethen, Old English hǣthen, akin to German Heide, heidnisch (adj.), Old Norse heithingi (noun), heithinn (adj.), Gothic haithno (noun); perhaps akin to heath

hea·then·dom, noun
hea·then·hood, noun
hea·then·ness, noun
hea·then·ship, noun
half-hea·then, adjective, noun
EXPAND
non·hea·then, noun, plural non·hea·thens, non·hea·then, adjective
un·hea·then, adjective
COLLAPSE


3. heathenish, barbarous. Heathen, pagan are both applied to peoples who are not Christian, Jewish, or Muslim. Heathen is often distinctively applied to unenlightened or barbaric idolaters, especially to primitive or ancient tribes: heathen rites, idols. Pagan, though applied to any of the peoples not worshiping according to the three religions mentioned above, is most frequently used in speaking of the ancient Greeks and Romans: a pagan poem; a pagan civilization. 4. philistine; savage.


4. sophisticated, urbane, cultured.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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