pa·gan
 pagan
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- pronunciation:
- peI
g
n
- parts of speech:
- noun, adjective
- features:
- Word Combinations (noun, adjective), Word History, Word Explorer
| part of speech: |
noun |
| definition 1: |
a person professing belief in a polytheistic religion.
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| definition 2: |
a person outside of accepted Western religious orthodoxies, such as a non-Christian, non-Jew, or non-Muslim; heathen.
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| definition 3: |
a professed hedonist.
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| related words: |
heretic |
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| part of speech: |
adjective |
| definition 1: |
having to do with pagans or a pagan religion.
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| definition 2: |
characteristic of nonreligious or heathen peoples.
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| definition 3: |
hedonistic.
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| derivations: |
paganist (adj.), paganistic (adj.), paganism (n.), paganist (n.) |
Pagan comes from a Latin word that means "a villager." In later Latin it also meant "heathen." After Christianity became an established religion, those who continued to practice the old religions were usually from country villages.