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heathendom

 - 2 dictionary results

hea⋅then

  [hee-thuhn] noun, plural -thens, -then, adjective
Use heathendom in a Sentence
–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
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To heathendom
hea·then   (hē'thən)   
n.   pl. hea·thens or heathen

  1. 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.

  2. Heathen An adherent of a Neopagan religion that seeks to revive the religious beliefs and practices of the ancient Germanic peoples.

  3. Informal

    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.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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