pa·gan
 pagan
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- pronunciation:
- peI
g
n
- features:
- Word History, Word Explorer
| part of speech: |
noun |
| definition 1: |
a person who practices a religion that worships many gods.
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| definition 2: |
a person outside of accepted Western religions; one who is not a Christian, Jew, or Muslim; heathen.
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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.