a particular system of religious worship, esp. with reference to its rites and ceremonies.
2.
an instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, esp. as manifested by a body of admirers: the physical fitness cult.
3.
the object of such devotion.
4.
a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc.
5.
Sociology. a group having a sacred ideology and a set of rites centering around their sacred symbols.
6.
a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader.
7.
the members of such a religion or sect.
8.
any system for treating human sickness that originated by a person usually claiming to have sole insight into the nature of disease, and that employs methods regarded as unorthodox or unscientific.
–adjective
9.
of or pertaining to a cult.
10.
of, for, or attracting a small group of devotees: a cult movie.
[Origin: 1610–20; < L cultus habitation, tilling, refinement, worship, equiv. to cul-, var. s. of colere to inhabit, till, worship + -tus suffix of v. action]
A religion or religious sect generally considered to be extremist or false, with its followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader.
The followers of such a religion or sect.
Obsessive, especially faddish, devotion to or veneration for a person, principle, or thing.
The object of such devotion.
A system or community of religious worship and ritual.
The formal means of expressing religious reverence; religious ceremony and ritual.
A usually nonscientific method or regimen claimed by its originator to have exclusive or exceptional power in curing a particular disease.
Obsessive, especially faddish, devotion to or veneration for a person, principle, or thing.
The object of such devotion.
An exclusive group of persons sharing an esoteric, usually artistic or intellectual interest.
[Latin cultus, worship, from past participle of colere, to cultivate; see kwel-1 in Indo-European roots.]
1617, "worship," also "a particular form of worship," from Fr. culte, from L. cultus "care, cultivation, worship," originally "tended, cultivated," pp. of colere "to till" (see colony). Rare after 17c.; revived mid-19c. with reference to ancient or primitive rituals. Meaning "devotion to a person or thing" is from 1829.
followers of an exclusive system of religious beliefs and practices
2.
an interest followed with exaggerated zeal; "he always follows the latest fads"; "it was all the rage that season" [syn: fad]
3.
followers of an unorthodox, extremist, or false religion or sect who often live outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader
4.
a religion or sect that is generally considered to be unorthodox, extremist, or false; "it was a satanic cult"
5.
a system of religious beliefs and rituals; "devoted to the cultus of the Blessed Virgin"
In anthropology, an organization for the conduct of ritual, magical, or other religious observances. Many so-called primitive tribes, for example, have ancestor cults, in which dead ancestors are considered divine and activities are organized to respect their memory and invoke their aid. A cult is also a religious group held together by a dominant, often charismatic individual, or by the worship of a divinity, an idol, or some other object. (Seeanimism, fetish, andtotemism.)
Note: The term cult often suggests extreme beliefs and bizarre behavior.
[Chapter:] Anthropology, Psychology, and Sociology
Cult\ (k?lt) n .[F. culte, L. cultus care, culture, fr. colere to cultivate. Cf. Cultus.]1. Attentive care; homage; worship. Every one is convinced of the reality of a better self, and of. thecult or homage which is due to it. --Shaftesbury. 2. A system of religious belief and worship. That which was the religion of Moses is the ceremonial or cult of the religion of Christ. --Coleridge.
Cul"tus\ (k?l"t?s), n. sing. & pl.; E. pl. Cultuses (-?z). [L., cultivation, culture. See Cult.] Established or accepted religious rites or usages of worship; state of religious development. Cf. Cult, 2.
Cul"tus\ (k?l"t?s), n. sing. & pl.; E. pl. Cultuses (-?z). [L., cultivation, culture. See Cult.] Established or accepted religious rites or usages of worship; state of religious development. Cf. Cult, 2.
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