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Definition of polytheism - 4 dictionary results

pol⋅y⋅the⋅ism

  [pol-ee-thee-iz-uhm, pol-ee-thee-iz-uhm]
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–noun
the doctrine of or belief in more than one god or in many gods.
Origin:
1605–15; poly- + theism; cf. F polythéisme

Related forms:
pol⋅y⋅the⋅ist, noun
pol⋅y⋅the⋅is⋅tic, pol⋅y⋅the⋅is⋅ti⋅cal, adjective
pol⋅y⋅the⋅is⋅ti⋅cal⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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pol·y·the·ism   (pŏl'ē-thē-ĭz'əm, pŏl'ē-thē'ĭz-əm)   
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 © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

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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Word Origin & History

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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