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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

hea·then

Audio Help [hee-th

n] Pronunciation Key noun, plural -thens, -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.

[Origin: bef. 900; ME hethen, OE hǣthen, akin to G Heide, heidnisch (adj.), ON heithingi (n.), heithinn (adj.), Goth haithno (n.); perh. akin to heath

]

—Related forms

hea·then·dom, noun

hea·then·hood, noun

hea·then·ness, noun

hea·then·ship, noun

—Synonyms 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, esp. 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.

—Antonyms 4. sophisticated, urbane, cultured.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Heathens

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

hea·then Audio Help (hē'thən) Pronunciation Key
n. pl. hea·thens or heathen

Offensive
1. One who adheres to the religion of a people or nation that does not acknowledge the God of Judaism, Christianity, or Islam.
2. Such persons considered as a group; the unconverted.
3. One who is regarded as irreligious, uncivilized, or unenlightened.
4. Such persons considered as a group.
1. One who is regarded as irreligious, uncivilized, or unenlightened.
2. Such persons considered as a group.

[Middle English hethen, from Old English hǣthen; see kaito- in Indo-European roots.]

hea'then adj., hea'then·dom, hea'then·ism, hea'then·ry n.

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