paganism

See also: păgânism

English

Etymology

From Latin pāgānismus (“heathenism”), from pāgānus (“peasant, rural, rustic”). The term was used pejoratively by early Muslims and Christians to belittle what remained of the native religions. Synchronically, pagan +‎ -ism.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈpeɪɡənɪzm̩/
Hyphenation: pa‧gan‧ism

Noun

paganism (countable and uncountable, plural paganisms)

Any indigenous polytheistic religion.
Most people in that region practise their own form of paganism.
Any of a class of religions often associated with nature rituals.
Various neopagan movements have arisen, each advancing its own form of paganism. Some are monotheist.

Coordinate terms

(religions) religion; agnosticism,‎ Asatru,‎ atheism,‎ Ayyavazhi,‎ Baháʼí Faith,‎ Bon,‎ Buddhism,‎ Cao Dai,‎ Cheondoism,‎ Christianity,‎ deism,‎ Druidry,‎ Druze,‎ Eckankar,‎ Heathenry,‎ Hinduism,‎ Islam,‎ Jainism,‎ Jediism,‎ Judaism,‎ Kimbanguism,‎ Odinism,‎ paganism,‎ Pastafarianism,‎ Raëlism,‎ Rastafarianism,‎ Rodnovery,‎ Romuva,‎ Samaritanism,‎ Sanamahism,‎ Shinto,‎ Sikhism,‎ Taoism,‎ Thelema,‎ Unitarian Universalism,‎ Wicca,‎ Yahwism,‎ Yazidism,‎ Yoruba,‎ Zoroastrianism ^{(Category: en:Religion)} ^[edit]

Related terms

pagan
neo-paganism

Translations

local religions practiced before the introduction of Christianity

Albanian: idhujtari (sq) f
Arabic: وَثَنِيَّة‎ f (waṯaniyya)
Armenian: հեթանոսություն (hy) (hetʿanosutʿyun)
Azerbaijani: bütpərəstlik (az)
Bashkir: мәжүсилек (mäjüsilek)
Belarusian: язы́чніцтва n (jazýčnictva)
Breton: paganiezh f
Bulgarian: ези́чество m (ezíčestvo)
Catalan: paganisme m
Chinese:
Cantonese: 異教, 异教 (ji⁶ gaau³)
Mandarin: 異教／异教 (zh) (yìjiào)
Cornish: paganieth f
Czech: pohanství n
Danish: hedenskab (da) n
Dutch: heidendom (nl) n, paganisme (nl) n
Esperanto: paganismo
Finnish: pakanuus (fi)
French: paganisme (fr) m
Galician: paganismo (gl) m
Georgian: წარმართობა (c̣armartoba)
German: Heidentum (de) n, Paganismus m
Greek: ειδωλολατρία (el) f (eidololatría), παγανισμός (el) m (paganismós)
Ancient: εἰδωλολατρία f (eidōlolatría)
Hebrew: פָּגָנִיּוּת‎ (he) f (pagániut)
Hungarian: pogányság (hu)
Icelandic: heiðni f
Irish: págántacht f
Italian: paganesimo (it) m
Japanese: ペイガニズム (peiganizumu), 異教 (ja) (いきょう, ikyō)
Korean: 이교(異敎) (igyo)
Latvian: pagānisms m
Lithuanian: pagonybė f
Polish: pogaństwo (pl) n
Portuguese: paganismo (pt) m
Romanian: păgânism (ro), păgânătate (ro)
Russian: язы́чество (ru) n (jazýčestvo)
Rusyn: пога́нство n (pohánstvo)
Samogitian: paguonībė f
Spanish: paganismo (es) m
Swedish: hedendom (sv) c
Tatar: мәҗүсилек (tt) (mäcüsilek)
Turkish: paganlık, paganizm (tr)
Ukrainian: язи́чництво (uk) n (jazýčnyctvo)
Urdu: پاگانیت‎ m (pāgāniyat)
Uzbek: paganizm
Welsh: paganiaeth f