polytheism definition | Dictionary.com

pol⋅y⋅the⋅ism

[pol-ee-thee-iz-uh

m, pol-ee-thee-iz-uh

–noun

the doctrine of or belief in more than one god or in many gods.

Origin:
1605–15; poly- + theism; cf. F polythéisme

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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pol·y·the·ism (pŏl'ē-thē-ĭz'əm, pŏl'ē-thē'ĭz-əm) Pronunciation Key
n. The worship of or belief in more than one god.

[French polythéisme, from Greek polutheos, polytheistic : polu-, poly- + theos, god; see dhēs- in Indo-European roots.]
pol'y·the'ist n., pol'y·the·is'tic adj.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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polytheism

1613, from Fr. polythéisme (16c.), formed from Gk. polytheos "of many gods," from polys "many" (see poly-) + theos "god" (see Thea). Polytheist first attested 1619.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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polytheism
noun
belief in multiple Gods [ant: monotheism]

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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polytheism

The belief in more than one god. The ancient Greeks, for example, were polytheists; their gods included Apollo, Athena, Dionysus, and Zeus. (Compare monotheism.)

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Polytheism

Pol"y*the*ism\, n. [Poly- + Gr. ? cf. F. polyth['e]isme.] The doctrine of, or belief in, a plurality of gods.

In the Old Testament, the gradual development of polytheism from the primitive monotheism may be learned. --Shaff-Herzog.

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