heathen
See also: Heathen
English
Etymology
From Middle English hethen, from Old English hǣþen, from Proto-West Germanic *haiþin, from Proto-Germanic *haiþinaz (“heathen, pagan”, adj), equivalent to heath (“heathland”) + -en. Cognate with West Frisian heiden, Dutch heiden, Middle High German heiden, German Heiden, German Heide, Swedish heden, Icelandic heiðinn. See also Proto-Germanic *haiduz, Old Norse heiðr (honour, bright, moor), Icelandic heiður (honour).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈhiːðən/
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -iːðən
Adjective
heathen (not comparable)
- Not adhering to the Christian religion (though usually excluding the Jews); pagan.
- (by extension) Uncultured; uncivilized; savage, philistine.
- Alternative letter-case form of Heathen (pertaining or adhering to the Germanic neo-pagan faith Heathenry).
Translations
not adhering to an Abrahamic religion
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savage
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Heathen — see Heathen
Noun
heathen (plural heathens or heathen)
- A person who does not follow a Christian religion; a pagan.
- V. Knox
- If it is no more than a moral discourse, he may preach it and they may hear it, and yet both continue unconverted heathens.
- 1930, H. E. Bolton, Anza's California expeditions (volume 1, page 403)
- On hearing his cries two heathen who were hunting on the lagoon ran up, and they were bold enough to try to avenge the injury, making ready to shoot arrows at the soldiers, who fired two gunshots just to frighten them […]
- V. Knox
- (by extension) An uncultured or uncivilized person, philistine.
- Alternative letter-case form of Heathen (an adherent of the Germanic neo-pagan faith of Heathenry).
Coordinate terms
- (religionists) religionist; agnostic, Asatruar, atheist, Baháʼí, Buddhist, Christian, deist, Druid, Druze, Eckist, heathen, Hindu, Jain, Jedi, Jew, Jucheist, Mormon, Mormonist, Muslim, Odinist, pagan, Pastafarian, Raëlian, Rastafarian, Rodnover, Samaritan, Shintoist, Sikh, Taoist, Unitarian Universalist, Wiccan, Yahwist, Yazidi, Zoroastrian (Category: en:Religion) [edit]
Derived terms
- heathendom
- heathenish
- heathenism
- heathenize
- heathenness
Translations
person who does not follow an Abrahamic religion
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uncultured or uncivilized person
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Heathen — see Heathen
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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Further reading
- heathen on Wikipedia.Wikipedia