holocaust

The noun is derived from Middle English holocaust (“burnt offering”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman holocauste, Old French holocauste, olocauste (modern French holocaust), from Late Latin holocaustum, from Ancient Greek ὁλόκαυστον (holókauston), the neuter form of ὁλόκαυστος (holókaustos, “wholly burnt”), from ὅλος (hólos, “entire, whole”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *solh₂- (“whole”)) + καυστός (kaustós, “burnt”) (from καίω (kaíō, “to burn, burn up”); further etymology uncertain, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *keh₂w-).
The verb is derived from the noun. As regards verb sense 3 (“to subject (a group of people) to a holocaust”), compare the use of genocide as a verb.

ref

From Gerard Hoet (1728) Figures de la Bible, The Hague: Chez Pierre de Hondt, →OCLC.

inh

And the ſcribe ſayde vnto hym: well maſter⸝ thou haſt ſayde the trugthe⸝ thatt there ys one God⸝ and that there is none but he. And to love hym with all the herte⸝ and with all the mynde⸝ and with all the ſoule⸝ ãd with all the ſtrẽgthe. And to love a mans nehbour as hym ſilfe⸝ ys a greater thynge then all holocauſtꝭ [holocaustes] and ſacrifiſes.

1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, The Gospell off S. Marke xij:[32–33], folio lxiij, verso:

[…] Iſaac carried on his back the wood for the ſacrifice; which being an holocauſt or burnt offering to be conſumed unto aſhes, we cannot well conceive the wood a burthen for a boy; but ſuch a one unto Iſaac, as that which it typified was unto Chriſt, that is the wood or croſſe whereon he ſuffered; […]

1650, Thomas Browne, “Of the Picture of Abraham Sacrificing Isaac”, in Pseudodoxia Epidemica: […], 2nd edition, London: […] A[braham] Miller, for Edw[ard] Dod and Nath[aniel] Ekins, […], →OCLC, 5th book, page 208:

In the firſt part whereof [i.e., of the inner court of the Temple of God mentioned in Revelation 11:1] is the Temple, which conſiſts of the Sanctum, and Sanctum Sanctorum, and in the latter part thereof ſtands the Altar of Holocauſts, which whole ſpace therefore is Thyſiaſterion, or the place of ſacrificing, and was not to be rendred Altar, but the place where the Altar ſtands.

1680, Henry More, chapter XI, in Apocalypsis Apocalypseos; or The Revelation of St John the Divine Unveiled. […], London: […] J. M. for J[ohn] Martyn, and W. Kettilby, […], →OCLC, page 101:

(religion) An offering or sacrifice to a deity that is completely burned to ashes.

مُحْرَقَة

Inſnar'd ſhe was in Shechems Treachery, / And, ſilly Mayden, ſuddenly became / An Holocauſt to Luſts unhappy Flame.

1648, Joseph Beaumont, “Canto XVII. The Mortification. Stanza 100.”, in Psyche: Or Loves Mysterie, […], London: […] John Dawson for George Boddington, […], →OCLC, page 322, column 2:

Oh! and with what a noble freeness on the contrary will not that good soldier, the worthy Spaniard present himself, who, wreathed with laurels, shall run after triumph to the altar of his august mother (his country), and offer up to her in holocaust, the arms and the banners of the vanquished foe; or else testify his bravery by his blood, and body all over glorious sears.

1808 August 6, “Spain. Proclamation to the Spanish warriors.”, in The Morning Chronicle, number 12,240, London: […] John Lambert […], →OCLC, page 2, column 3:

Is it because the Grand Seignior [of Turkey] does not recognise the religion of Christ, or because himself and his predecessors have so long enjoyed the privilege of shedding Christian blood at their pleasure? […] Surely the memorable facts of our [Greek] forefathers having created the arts and sciences, and propagated Christianity, furnish no good reason why their descendants should be offered up as holocausts to modern legitimacy!

1821 August 8, The Morning Chronicle, number 16,319, London: […] D[avid] Robertson, […], →OCLC, page 2, column 3:

(religion, also figuratively) A complete or large offering or sacrifice.


holocaust

en-verb

holocaust (third-person singular simple present holocausts, present participle holocausting, simple past and past participle holocausted)

holocausts (present singular third-person)
holocausting (participle present)
holocausted (participle past)
holocausted (past)

Such acts muſt needs be his, who did deviſe / By crying Altars down, to ſacrifice / To private malice; where you might have ſeen / His conſcience holocauſted to his ſpleen.

1647, [John Cleveland], “On I. W. A. B. of York”, in The Character of a London-diurnall: VVith Severall Select Poems. […], [London]: [s.n.], →OCLC, page 50:

In 1767 [Alexander] Pope's rhymed Iliad had been in everybody's hand during forty years. What portion of that period had Doctor [Samuel] Langley devoted to his own blank verse? Did he survive to compare and compete it with [William] Cowper's? Has it been holocausted to Vulcan? or is it slumbering in the Langleian archives?

1871 April 29, E. L. S., “A Forgotten Homerist”, in Notes and Queries: A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, General Readers, etc., volume VII, number 174 (4th Series), London: […] Spottiswoode & Co. [for] William Greig Smith, →OCLC, page 362, column 1:

Dionysus, once the great goat-god, turned into horned and hooved Satan, the scapegoat, who was banished (as the escape-goat) and later sacrificially burned (holocausted).

1995, Janice Hocker Rushing, “Evolution of ‘The New Frontier’ in Alien and Aliens: Patriarchal Co-optation of the Feminine Archetype”, in Joel W. Martin, Conrad E. Ostwalt Jr., editors, Screening the Sacred: Religion, Myth, and Ideology in Popular American Film, Boulder, Colo., Oxford, Oxfordshire: Westview Press, →ISBN, part 2 (Mythological Criticism), page 100:

Is it any wonder that the ruler of such a place would be worshipped with aversion rather than invocation? Or that the offering to underworld deities was traditionally an offering that was holocausted, completely burnt and given over to the god, as in the worship of the Olympians in their temples above?

1997, Kathie Carlson, Life’s Daughter/Death’s Bride: Inner Transformations through the Goddess Demeter/Persephone, Boston, Mass.: Shambhala Publications, →ISBN, page 109:

(religion, also figuratively) To sacrifice (chiefly an animal) to be completely burned.

polttouhrata

to sacrifice (an animal) to be completely burned


Baal

en-proper noun

Baal (countable and uncountable, plural Baals or Baalim)

From Late Latin Baal (as in the Vulgate) and Ancient Greek Βάαλ (Báal); from Hebrew בַּעַל (bá`al, “lord, husband, owner”), Phoenician 𐤁𐤏𐤋 (bʿl, “lord, master, owner”) and Ugaritic 𐎁𐎓𐎍 (baʿlu, “lord, owner”), all from Proto-Semitic *baʿl- (“owner, lord, husband”).

der

(mythology, biblical) A storm and fertility god of the Phoenician and Canaanite pantheons, reckoned as chief of the gods by the 1st millennium BC.

(mythology, biblical, sometimes lowercase) Various other Baalim, understood as distinct patron gods or as local patron aspects the great god Baal.

(Christianity) One of the demons or fallen angels of Satan.


Shabbat

Borrowed from Hebrew שבת (shabát, “rest”). Variants ending in -s were influenced by the Yiddish form שבת (shabes). Doublet of Sabbath.

I leave early on Fridays, as I don't work on Shabbat.

The Jewish Sabbath, from sundown Friday to nightfall Saturday, commemorating God's rest on the seventh day in the book of Genesis.

Please join us for Shabbat tonight.

Alternative form of Sabbath (“witches' meeting”)


Marian

A variant of Marion, a medieval derivation of Mary, often also interpreted as a contraction of Mary and Ann, or as a variant of Mariana.

There's no more faith in thee than in a steward prune, nor no more truth in thee than in a drawn fox; and for womanhood, Maid Marian may be the deputy's wife of the ward to thee.


Marian

en-adj

Marian (comparative more Marian, superlative most Marian)

more Marian (comparative)
most Marian (superlative)

a Marian apparition

Marian devotions

When, e.g., Dr. Pusey and others tell him, on à priori grounds, that his constant and unintermitting worship of Mary lessens his simple trust in Jesus, such a statement can only elicit from him amazement and pity; because he knows, as a matter most strictly within his own personal cognisance, that Marian devotion is among his most efficacious helps for growing in the knowledge and the love of God.

1867, E. Pusey, “Dr. Pusey on Ecclesiastical Unity”, in The Dublin Review, volume 8, page 84:

(Christianity) Of or relating to the Virgin Mary.


theism

en-noun

theism (countable and uncountable, plural theisms)

Coined, theo- + -ism. ultimately from Ancient Greek θεός (theós, “god”). Attested in English from 1678, theist being attested 16 years earlier in 1662. Cognate French théisme, as in Diderot Principes de la philosophie morale (1745), which was probably borrowed from English. Doublet of deism.

Belief in the existence of at least one deity.

theïsme

belief in existence of at least one deity


patriarch

/ˈpeɪtɹɪɑːk/

/ˈpeɪt͡ʃɹiɑɹk/

From Middle English patriark, patriarche, from Late Latin patriarcha; later reinforced by Old French patriarche, from Byzantine Greek πατριάρχης (patriárkhēs, “the founder of the tribe/family”), from Ancient Greek πατριά (patriá, “generation, ancestry, descent, tribe, family”) + -ᾰ́ρχης (-árkhēs, “-arch”), with some senses likely influenced directly by Latin pāter (“father”) or Ancient Greek πᾰτήρ (patḗr, “father”). Compare matriarch. By surface analysis, patri- + -arch.

der

(Christianity) The highest form of bishop, in the ancient world having authority over other bishops in the province but now generally as an honorary title; in Roman Catholicism, considered a bishop second only to the Pope in rank.


hierarch

From Medieval Latin hierarcha, from Ancient Greek ἱεράρχης (hierárkhēs) Derived from ἱερός (hierós, “holy”) + -άρχης (-árkhēs, “ruler”, “leader”).
ἱερός from Proto-Hellenic *iherós, from Proto-Indo-European *ish₁ros. There are a number of candidate cognates with this word. Compare Sanskrit इषिर (iṣira, “vigorous, fresh, blooming”) and Oscan 𐌀𐌉𐌔𐌖𐌔𐌉𐌔 (aisusis).

cog

(religion) One who has high and controlling authority in sacred things; the chief of a sacred order.

йерарх

one who has high and controlling authority in sacred things

The law states that the local ordinary can give to any Catholic priest the faculty to bless the marriages of non-Catholic Eastern Christians if the faithful voluntarily ask for it and the priest prudently informs the appropriate hierarch.

2016 October 11, Peter Jesserer Smith, “Pope’s Canon-Law Change Strengthens East and West”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), National Catholic Register:

(Eastern Orthodoxy) A title of bishops in their role as ordinaries (arbiters of canon law) over their respective dioceses.

ιεράρχης

a title of bishops in their role as ordinaries (Eastern Orthodoxy)


Holy Communion

A Christian sacrament commemorating the Last Supper of Christ, with the physical forms of bread and usually wine which are believed by certain denominations to become Christ himself or to host his spiritual presence.


old man

en-noun

old man (countable and uncountable, plural old men)

From Middle English alde mann, aldman, elde man, oldeman, from Old English eald man.

(theology, uncountable) Synonym of Old Adam

A new light has entered into the life and transformed it wonderfully, the soul has been born again, the old man has been put off, the new man which is akin to Jesus Christ has been put on.

1906 [1890 November], Richard Acland Armstrong, “What must I do to be saved?”, in George Gilbert Armstrong, editor, Richard Acland Armstrong: A Memoir, Green, page 155:

(Christianity) The state of human nature without the spiritual transformation brought about by redemption through Jesus Christ.


Sedna

Borrowed from Inuktitut Sitna.
The dwarf planet is named after the goddess.

Sedna began to enjoy keeping all the sea creatures away from the humans by tucking them into her now miles-long hair.

2018, Tanya Tagaq, Split Tooth, And Other Stories (2023), page 87:

(mythology, Inuit mythology) The Inuit goddess of the sea and marine animals.


Mohammedan

From Mohammed + -an, from the earlier form Mahometan, coined in the 17th century.

Moohummudan

all as obsolete as the lemma (Mohammedan)

At the principal stations there are also separate Hindu and Mohemmedan refreshment rooms, and some mail trains have compartments reserved for Indian tea and sweetmeat vendors.

1950 February, W. Dendy, “Impressions of the Indian Railways—3”, in Railway Magazine, page 119:

(now largely obsolete and offensive) Muslim, Islamic.


Lucifer

[ˈɫʉu̯ːsɪˌfɝ]

From Middle English Lucifer, from Latin Lūcifer (from lūx (“light”) + ferō (“bear, carry”)). Attested in Old English as Lūċifer. Replaced native calque lēohtberend (“lightbearer”) also from the same Latin source. Application of the name to Satan results from what is probably a misinterpretation of Isaiah 14:12 (whence also the corresponding sense of morning star).

der

(biblical) The King of Babylon who was compared to the planet Venus in first the Wycliffe version then the King James Version of Isaiah 14:12; it is unclear whether this verse refers to a specific king or to a representation of the entire line of kings of Babylon.


Hades

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Hades.wav

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek ᾍδης (Hā́idēs).

lbor

(Greek mythology) The god of the underworld and ruler of the dead, son of Cronus and Rhea, brother of Zeus and Poseidon.

(Greek mythology) The underworld, the domain of Hades, by transference from its god.

In the Septuagint Bible, the Greek translation of Sheol.

(specifically, chiefly Eastern Orthodoxy) Hell as a waiting place for damned souls before the Last Judgement, after which they may be cast in Gehenna.


Asclepius

Borrowed from Latin Asclēpius, from Ancient Greek Ἀσκληπιός (Asklēpiós).

We found religious medicine in the Homeric poems, and there was no century without healing cults. The cult of Asclepius was by no means the only one, but, for reasons that will be discussed later, it dominated the scene and set a pattern for the cults of other healing deities.

1961, Henry E. Sigerist, “A History of Medicine, Volume II: Early Greek, Hindu, and Persian Medicine”, in Paperback, Oxford University Press, published 1987, page 44:

The temple of Asclepius is located just inside the north wall (Fig. 5) and is referred to by Pausanias (p. 34), who notes that the site was a place of refreshment in summer.

2002, Jerome Murphy-O'Connor, St. Paul's Corinth: Texts and Archaeology, Liturgical Press, page 186:

The story of Tiber Island is similar: in 293 BC, the inhabitants of Rome started to fall sick and die from an unknown disease, and the city fathers sent an expedition to Epidaurus in Greece to retrieve one of the snakes sacred to Asclepius (Greek Asklepiós, Aesculapius in Latin), god of medicine and healing, thus bringing the god to Rome. The story told by Livy was that as the ship carrying this snake came up the Tiber, the snake escaped and swam to the island. The Romans immediately concluded that Asclepius wished to dwell there (it would appear that clever Asclepius had immediately recognised an excellent place of quarantine), and built a temple to the god on the island.

2015, Paula Landart, Finding Ancient Rome: Walks in the City, E-Book, page 16:

(Greek mythology) A Greek mythological deity, the god of doctors, medicine and healing; a son of Apollo and the Thessalian princess Coronis, husband to the goddess Epione and father of the Asclepiades; identified with the Roman god Aesculapius.

阿斯克勒庇俄斯

Āsīkèlēibì'ésī


Passover

Deverbal from pass over. Coined by William Tyndale (c. 1494–1536), the first translator of the Bible into modern English, as a calque of Hebrew פֶּסַח (pésakh).

Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism

מַצּוֹת מצות#Hebrew

The seven-day (Reform Judaism) or eight-day (Orthodox and Conservative Judaism) Jewish festival of Pesach (also called the Feast of Unleavened Bread (מַצּוֹת (matsót)), commemorating the biblical story of the Exodus.

𐕗𐔰𐕚𐔴𐕣

the one-day or multi-day biblical or Jewish festival


Adam and Eve

Cain and Abel were the sons of Adam and Eve.

Well, I spied me a girl and before she could leave / I said “Let’s go and play Adam and Eve”

1963, Bob Dylan (lyrics and music), “Talkin' World War III Blues”, in The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan:

In his own unique way, he was a radical—him and that sister of his, Lucida. Radicals with inbuilt longevity—a regular Adam and Eve who would add healthy genes to Earth's decaying gene pool.

2004, Paul Collins, The Earthborn, page 71:

The first man and woman, respectively, according to the Book of Genesis.

Adam en Eva

the first man and woman (according to Genesis)


claustration

en-noun

claustration (countable and uncountable, plural claustrations)

Shutting up or enclosing, usually in a religious cloister.


Mattathias

/ˌmætəˈθaɪ.əs/

From the Latin Mattathiās, from the Ancient Greek Μᾰττᾰθῐ́ᾱς (Mattathíās), from the Biblical Hebrew מַתִּתְיָהוּ (mattiṯyāhū). Doublet of Matthew.

uder

מַתִּתְיָהוּ

vvho vvas of Matthathias, vvho vvas of Amos, vvho vvas of Naum, vvho vvas of Heſli, vvho vvas of Naggé,

1582, The Nevv Teſtament of Ieſus Chriſt, tranſlated faithfully into Engliſh, out of the authentical Latin (first edition), The Holy Goſpel of Ieſus Chriſt according to Luke iii:25 (page 144)

(rare) A male given name from Hebrew — famously held by:

(Christianity, in Luke’s genealogy of Christ) The son of Amos and father of Joseph, six-times-great–grandfather of Jesus.

vvho vvas of Mahath, vvho vvas of Matthathias, vvho vvas of Semei, vvho vvas of Ioſeph, vvho vvas of Iuda,

1582, The Nevv Teſtament of Ieſus Chriſt, tranſlated faithfully into Engliſh, out of the authentical Latin (first edition), The Holy Goſpel of Ieſus Chriſt according to Luke iii:26 (page 144)

(Christianity, in Luke’s genealogy of Christ) The son of Semei and father of Mahath, twelve-times-great–grandfather of Jesus.

In thoſe dayes aroſe Mathathias the ſonne of Iohn, the ſonne of Simeon, prieſt of the ſonnes of Ioarib from Ieruſalem, and he ſate in the mountayne of Modin: and he had fiue ſonnes, Iohn who was ſurnamed Gaddis: and Simon, who was ſurnamed Thaſi: and Iudas, who was called Machabeus: and Eleazar, who was ſurnamed Abaron: and Ionathan, who was ſurnamed Apphus.

1610, The ſecond tome of the Holie Bible faithfully tranſlated into Engliſh, out of the authentical Latin (first edition), The Firſt Booke of Macabees ii:1–5 (page 896)

(Judaism and Christianity) A Jewish priest featured in the second chapter of 1 Maccabees, instigator of the Maccabean Revolt and progenitor of the Hasmonean dynasty.


necromancy

en-noun

necromancy (countable and uncountable, plural necromancies)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-necromancy.wav

Circa 1300, from Middle English nigromancye, from Old French nigromancie, from Medieval Latin nigromantia, from Latin necromantia, from Ancient Greek νεκρομαντεία (nekromanteía), νεκρός (nekrós, “dead”) + μαντεία (manteía, “divination”). Medieval Latin spelling, incorporating niger (“black”), influenced by the notion of black art. Modern spelling adopted in mid-1500s. By surface analysis, necro- + -mancy.

der

νεκρομαντεία

And for to make this treatise the more pleasaunt and facill, I have put it in forme of a Dialogue, which I have diuided into three bookes: The first speaking of Magie in general, and Necromancie in special.

1597, King James Daemonologie, (Please provide the book title or journal name):

And in one word for all, Nagomancy, or Necromancy; by inspecting, consulting, and divining by, with, or from the dead.

1652, Gaule The Magastromancer, (Please provide the book title or journal name):

1867 E. Rogers, quoted in K. Thomas Relig. & Decline of Magic
the Devil did often tempt me to study necromancy and nigromancy and to make use of magic, and to make a league with him...

There is no doubt..that necromancy is the touch-stone of occultism...

Loosely, any sorcery or witchcraft, especially involving death or the dead, particularly sorcery involving raising or reanimating the dead.


Baal-Shem-Tov

Israel ben Eliezer, founder of the modern Hassidic movement of Judaism.


Khronos

(Greek mythology) Alternative spelling of Cronus

(Greek mythology) Alternative spelling of Chronos


determinism

en-noun

determinism (countable and uncountable, plural determinisms)

Borrowed from French déterminisme, equivalent to determine + -ism.

Pereboom’s book presents probably the best available argument for hard incompatibilism (the view that free will is not compatible with causal determinism), and his defence of the sourcehood view is just part of this overall argument.

2015 January 1, John Danaher, “The Free Will Debate: Sourcehood or Alternative Possibilities?”, in Philosophical Disquisitions:

(philosophy) The doctrine that all actions are determined by the current state and immutable laws of the universe, with no possibility of choice.


Cronus

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Κρόνος (Krónos), possibly from the Ancient Greek κραίνω (kraínō, “to rule or command”).

der

The deal is: You post a photo from 10 years ago and one from now. It’s like viewing a painting of Cronus eating his children, but online.

2019 January 16, Alexis C. Madrigal, “Go Ahead, Post the Stupid Photo of Yourself From 10 Years Ago”, in The Atlantic:

(Greek mythology) The youngest of the twelve Titans, son of Uranus and Gaia; father to the first generation of Olympian gods and goddesses.


Chronos

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek Χρόνος (Khrónos), from Ancient Greek χρόνος (khrónos, “time”)

lbor

(Greek mythology) The personification of time.


free will

From Middle English fre will, fre wil, fre wille.

Some people deny that humans have free will, and argue that every thought and action is preordained by God.

You can bind my limbs, but you can never deprive me of my free will.

What is free will but the power of volition and action, and of thought and speech, to all appearance as of one's self?

1869, Emmanuel Swedenborg, translated by R Norman Foster, The True Christian Religion:

The new challenge to free will comes from a different direction: neuroscience's discovery that people's brains are a collection of diversely oriented modules, and that our understanding of our own intentionality is to a great degree a legitimating fiction which one module in the left hemisphere of the brain retroactively imposes over the decisions different modules make.

2012 January 12, “Free will and politics”, in The Economist:

(philosophy, Christianity) The ability to choose one's actions and make choices that are not predetermined by predestination, fate, etc.


Kingdom Hall

A place where Jehovah's Witnesses meet for fellowship and worship.

Salón del Reino de los Testigos de Jehová


Dionysus

Via Latin Dionȳsus, from Ancient Greek Διόνῡσος (Diónūsos).

All hail slain and risen God / All hail Dionysus / Come blessed Dionysus, various nam'd, bull-fac'd / Begot from the thunder, Bacchus fam'd

(Greek mythology) The god of wine, ivy and grapes, specifically its intoxication and social influence, but also the patron of agriculture and the theater. Also related to the mystery of religion, as in "spiritual intoxication".


Odinism

Heathenry, Germanic neopaganism, especially a variety devoted to the Norse pantheon.


Artemis

From Ancient Greek Ἄρτεμις (Ártemis). Further etymology is uncertain.

(Greek mythology) The Greek goddess of the hunt, wild animals, and wilderness; the daughter of Leto and Zeus; the sister of Apollo. (Compare Diana.)


churchy

en-adj

churchy (comparative churchier, superlative churchiest)

churchier (comparative)
churchiest (superlative)

Your house looks kind of churchy.


Judah

Borrowed from Biblical Hebrew יְהוּדָה (yehudá), a son of Jacob. Doublet of Judas and Yehuda.

bor+

Now the sons of Jacob were twelve: ²³ The sons of Leah; Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun: ²⁴ The sons of Rachel; Joseph, and Benjamin: ²⁵ And the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid; Dan, and Naphtali: ²⁶ And the sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid; Gad, and Asher: these are the sons of Jacob, which were born to him in Padan-aram.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis 35:22b-26:

(biblical) The fourth son of Jacob, by his wife Leah; the father of Perez.

(biblical) One of the Israelite tribes, descended from Judah, from which David and his lineage came.

And they gave them the city of Arba the father of Anak, which city is Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, with the suburbs thereof round about it.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Joshua 21:11:

(biblical) The southern Israelite kingdom which continued to be ruled by the Davidic dynasty after Solomon's death and the breakup of the united monarchy, with the northern portion keeping the name Israel.


gospel

en-noun

gospel (countable and uncountable, plural gospels)

→ Japanese: ゴスペル (gosuperu)

From Middle English gospel, gospell, godspel, godspell, goddspell, from Old English godspell (“gospel”), corresponding to God + spell (“talk, tale, story”), literally “the message of God”, believed to be an alteration of earlier *gōdspell (literally “good news”), used to translate ecclesiastical Latin bona annūntiātiō, itself a translation of Ecclesiastical Latin ēvangelium / Ancient Greek εὐαγγέλιον (euangélion, “evangel”, literally “good news”) (English evangel). Compare Old Saxon gōdspel and godspell (“gospel”), Old High German and Middle High German gotspel (“gospel”), Icelandic guðspjall (“gospel”), and the modern calque Malayalam സുവിശേഷം (suviśēṣaṁ).

der

The first section of the Christian New Testament scripture, comprising the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, concerned with the birth, ministry, passion, and resurrection of Jesus.

An account of those aspects of Jesus' life, generally written during the first several centuries of the Common Era.

ܐܸܘܲܢܓܸܠܝܼܘܿܢ

account of the life, death, and teachings of Jesus

(Protestantism) The teaching of Divine grace as distinguished from the Law or Divine commandments.


Clio

(Greek mythology) The goddess of history and heroic poetry, and one of the Muses; the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne.


Father Christmas

en-proper noun

Father Christmas (plural Father Christmases or Father Christmasses or Fathers Christmas)

Father Christmases (plural)
Father Christmasses (plural)
Fathers Christmas (plural)

The old men who had moustaches came with their breath frozen on them, and looked like so many old Father Christmasses: although all seemed poor and were indifferently clad, they almost all looked in good health and spirits.

1879 May, “Famine Relief. Welcome Words from Shan-si in a letter from Mr. James.”, in J[ames] Hudson Taylor, editor, China’s Millions, number 47, London: Morgan and Scott, […], page 63, column 2:

Again Donna Maria’s anger was interrupted by the rising of the curtain; or, rather, diverted from Carlo’s décadent æsthetics to the extreme badness of the mise en scène, to rows of Father Christmasses and ladies in grey waterproofs, who bellowed and gesticulated as unhappy shades at the gates of hell, and the chains of thick thighed and tight waisted furies who capered about in the rose-coloured Bengal light.

1889 June, Vernon Lee [pseudonym; Violet Paget], “Orpheus in Rome: Irrelevant Talks on the Use of the Beautiful”, in The Contemporary Review, volume LV, London: Isbister and Company […], section I, page 833:

The five Father Christmases walked slowly on, oblivious alike of the children who gaped at them and the man-hunt that was taking place under their noses.

1939, Nicholas Blake [pseudonym; Cecil Day-Lewis], The Smiler with the Knife, Harper & Row, page 199:

‘Yeah, I’ve seen those things they think are gnomes,’ said Ron, bent double with his head in a peony bush. ‘Like fat little Father Christmases with fishing rods …’

1998 July 2, J. K. Rowling [pseudonym; Joanne Rowling], “The Burrow”, in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter; 2), London: Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN:

At the beginning of the 1990s, therefore, Bardo moved to the current establishment, and was finally able to house his Father Christmases in the style they deserve.

2003, Piers Letcher, Eccentric France: The Bradt Guide to Mad, Magical and Marvellous France, Bradt Travel Guides; The Globe Pequot Press, →ISBN, page 207:

At Christmas, also in 2004, members processed as Fathers Christmas, employing the slogan ‘Put the fathers back into Christmas’.

2007, Duncan Watts, Pressure Groups (Politics Study Guides), Edinburgh University Press, →ISBN, page 122:

After the confrontation with the fictitious peer’s solution process, namely actually drawing rectangles around the Fathers Christmas’ irregular shapes, in Phase 4, another nine of the remaining 22 students (five 12–13- and four 15–16-year olds^([sic])) exchanged their initial linear answer for the correct nonlinear one.

2007, Dirk De Bock, Wim Van Dooren, Dirk Janssens, Lieven Verschaffel, The Illusion of Linearity: From Analysis to Improvement, Springer, →ISBN, page 103:

I was paid £1.92 an hour to wear a pink tutu and entertain the children waiting to see the two Father Christmases (one on either side of the grotto) as the increasingly irate families inched their way past the hour wait markers.

2011, Clare Hemmings, “Crossings”, in Kathy Davis, Mary Evans, editors, Transatlantic Conversations: Feminism as Travelling Theory, Routledge, published 2016, →ISBN, part I (Becoming a Feminist in a Transatlantic Context), page 29:

The smiling carol singers and the laughing Father Christmasses on the television seemed to make my misery more acute.

2016, Bryony Gordon, “I think I might be dying”, in Mad Girl, London: Headline Publishing Group, →ISBN, page 20:

In 1836, English artist Robert Seymour illustrated Thomas K. Hervey’s Book of Christmas with a couple of boozy, wild-haired Fathers Christmas that set the tone for the next fifty years in which the London newspapers were more likely to emphasize the good father’s drinking than anything else.

2020, Tom A. Jerman, Santa Claus Worldwide: A History of St. Nicholas and Other Holiday Gift-Bringers, McFarland & Company, →ISBN, pages 166–167:

In 1958, it was reported that for "the fourth year in succession, staff of four South London stations have combined to decorate the booking hall at Peckham Rye station". They installed a nativity scene, models of Father Christmas, and a sleigh driven by huskies, and Christmas trees were placed around the station.

2023 December 27, David Turner, “Silent lines...”, in RAIL, number 999, page 29:

(folklore) A mythical figure said to bring presents to people (especially children) at Christmas time.


Athena

Borrowed from Latin Athena, from Ancient Greek Ἀθηνᾶ (Athēnâ).

(Greek mythology) The goddess of wisdom, especially strategic warfare, the arts, and especially crafts, in particular, weaving; daughter of Zeus and Metis. Her Roman counterpart is Minerva.


terrestrial

aerial

antonym(s) of “of, made of, related to, or living or growing on land”

celestial

antonym(s) of “concerned with the world”

/tɪˈɹɛstɹɪ.əl/

/tɪˈɹɛstɹɪ.əl/

/təˈɹɛstɹɪ.əl/

/tɪˈɹɛstɹɪ.əl/

From Middle English terrestrialle, from terrestre or Latin terrestris, from terra (“land, earth, ground”), with the suffix -al.

We are now living and obeying celestial laws that will make us candidates for celestial glory; or we are living terrestrial laws that will make us candidates for terrestrial glory; or telestial.

1974 February, “A Sure Trumpet Sound: Quotations from President Lee”, in Ensign, page 77:

Theirs is an everlasting terrestrial inheritance because they rejected the truth when it was offered to them in mortality.

1977 August, Bruce R. McConkie, “A New Commandment: Save Thyself and Thy Kindred!”, in Tambuli, page 5:

(Mormonism) Of or pertaining to the second highest degree of glory.

maanpäällinen

Mormonism: of or pertaining to the second highest degree of glory


Varuna

(Hinduism) A god of the sky, of rain and of the celestial ocean, as well as a god of law and of the underworld.

(astronomy) A Kuiper belt object, once thought to be possibly a dwarf planet.


mage

From Middle English mages (plurale tantum), from Latin magus, from Ancient Greek Μάγος (Mágos), from the hapax Old Persian 𐎶𐎦𐎢𐏁 (m-gu-u-š /maguš/). Doublet of magus.

While the liberality of Gelo and his brother Hiero atracted every stranger who could amuse or instruct the court of Syracuse, a Persian Mage related to the former of those princes that he himself had circumnavigated the whole continent of Africa.

c. 1790, Edward Gibbon, On the Position of the Meridional Line, and the supposed Circumnavigation of Africa by the Ancients; republished as The Miscellaneous Works of Edward Gibbon, Esq. […] , volume 5, 1814, pages 186–87:

(obsolete) Synonym of magus: a Zoroastrian priest.

magic user

practitioner of allegedly supernatural magic


Matthew

From earlier Matheu, from Old French Mathieu, from Latin Matthaeus, from Ancient Greek Ματθαῖος (Matthaîos), from Aramaic מַתַּי (mattay). Compare Hebrew מַתִּתְיָהוּ (mattiṯyāhū, literally “gift of the Lord”). Doublet of Mattathias.

cog

מַתִּתְיָהוּ

(biblical) The Gospel of St. Matthew, the first book of the New Testament of the Bible. Traditionally the first of the four gospels, a book attributed to Matthew the Evangelist.


dhamma

en-noun

dhamma (countable and uncountable, plural dhammas)

Transliteration of Pali dhamma. Doublet of dharma and firm.


Quadragesima

/ˌkwɒdɹəˈdʒɛsɪmə/

From Latin Quadrāgēsima (“Lent”), from feminine substantive use of quadrāgēsimus (“fortieth”), from the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter using inclusive counting and excluding Sundays.

Quadragesima Sunday
Quadragesima Sunday#English

(Christianity) Synonym of Quadragesima Sunday: the first Sunday in Lent.


Kris Kringle

/ˌkɹɪs ˈkɹɪŋɡ(ə)l/

Borrowed in a modified form from Pennsylvania German Christ-kinkle, from German Christkindl (“(dialectal diminutive) Christ Child”), Christkind (“Christ Child”), from Christ (“Christ”) + Kindl (dialectal diminutive), Kind (“child”).

der

Now is not "Kriss Kingle" a nice, fat, good-humored looking man. See how eagerly those little boys embrace him, hoping that he will give them some nice little present or other. Mr. "Kriss Kingle" loves good little boys and girls, and if they behave and mind what their parents tell them, they may rest assured that he will pay them a visit, and leave them something nice, as a reward for their good behaviour.

1842, “Introduction”, in Saint Nicholas’s Book for All Good Boys and Girls, Philadelphia, Pa.: Thomas, Cowperthwait & Co., →OCLC; quoted in Alfred L[ewis] Shoemaker, “[Woodstove Christmases] Christ-Kindel to Kriss Kringle”, in Christmas in Pennsylvania, 50th anniversary edition, Lanham, Md.: Globe Pequot Press, 2009, →ISBN, page 60:

The practice of hanging up stockings in the chimney corner for Kriss Kringle to fill with toys, pretty books, bon-bons, &c., for good children, is being superseded by that of placing a Christmas Tree on the table to await the annual visit of the worthy Santa Klaus.

1847, “Advertisement”, in Kriss Kringle’s Christmas Tree. A Holiday Present for Boys and Girls, Philadelphia, Pa.: Published by Grigg & Elliot, →OCLC:

In the New-Year's days of "the winters long ago," many was the romp I had with little Fanny. Gay and ringing—clear as bells of silver—was her New-Year laugh, as she peered into her stocking, in the early morning, and found the hundred beloved knickknackeries that the fabled Kris Kringle used to put there—so fond of the dear little creature was this bearded old friend of infancy.

1853 February, P. L., “Home and Its Recollections”, in D[avis] W[asgatt] Clark, editor, The Ladies’ Repository: A Monthly Periodical, Devoted to Literature and Religion, volume XIII, Cincinnati, Oh.: L. Swormstedt and A. Poe; […], →OCLC, page 74, column 2:

What if that other room, also, had its Christmas tree? What if in every room these evidences of Kriss Kringle’s more enterprising handiwork had already been obtruded?

1878, Leonard Kip, “St. Nicholas and the Gnome”, in Hannibal’s Man and Other Tales. The Argus Christmas Stories, Albany, N.Y.: The Argus Company, printers, →OCLC, chapter III, page 331:

"The symbolic figure of Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, or Kris Kringle," he began, "represents a classic expression of the wishful dreaming of all children. He is the omnipotent Giver, the generous Father. Mature adults who seek to perpetrate this myth reveal themselves as incomplete and neurotic personalities. They are clinging to infantile fantasies and show themselves unable to face reality."

1947, Valentine Davies, chapter 10, in Miracle on 34th Street, New York, N.Y.: Harcourt, Brace and Company, →OCLC, page 63:

In Germany, Santa has long been known as "Kriss Kringel" (derived from Christ Child). In America, the name is still used by the Pennsylvania Dutch.

1976, Good Housekeeping, volume 183, New York, N.Y.: Hearst Magazines, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 76:

“I find it appalling that Kriss Kringel’s brother could be so cold-hearted about Christmas,” said Bartoli.

2000, E[ugene] F[orrest] Shelby, “The Antisanta”, in Gothic Alaskan and Other Stories: Bad Horror from the Dark Subcontinent, Lincoln, Neb.: Writers Club Press, iUniverse, →ISBN, page 198:

Standing in the reception was a tall older man with a big bushy white beard that looked exactly like Kris Kringel in Miracle on 42nd Street.^([sic – meaning Miracle on 34th Street])

2004, Ballooning, volume 37, San Luis Obispo, Calif.: Balloon Federation of America, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 26:

The mall is brimming over with Christmas spirit. There are forty Santas—short ones, tall ones, smiling ones, and grouchy ones. [...] It's full of crisp jingles and Kris Kringles—and it's only November. Christmas seems to come earlier and earlier every year.

2006, Mike Thaler, “Deck the Mall”, in The Christmas Party from the Black Lagoon (Black Lagoon Adventures; 9), New York, N.Y.: Scholastic, →ISBN, page 16:

[T]he two fat and jolly voice actors, both with beards and beer bellies, sitting on the edge of the fragile wooden stools, miked up and ready-to-go, looking over the script like a pair of disparaging Kris Kringles; [...]

2009 June 19, Tony Esposito, chapter 18, in Don’t Ever Leave This Country, Bloomington, Ind.: AuthorHouse, →ISBN, page 116:


Saint Nicholas

(Christianity) A 4th-century Greek bishop from Myra, Anatolia, patron saint of children, mariners and the unwed among others, functioning in multiple countries as a gift-giving figure around his feast day of December 6.

Shën Nikolla

4th-century Greek bishop, patron of children and mariners

No more passion play / On St. Nicholas avenue / I believe in St. Nicholas / It's a different type of Santa Claus

2004, “Good Friday”, in La maison de mon rêve, performed by Cocorosie:

Santa Claus; a figure derived from traditions surrounding the historical Saint Nicholas who is said to bring Christmas presents to children on Christmas Day.


Satan

From Middle English Sathan, Satan, from Old English Satan, from Latin Satan, from Ancient Greek Σατάν (Satán), from Hebrew שָׂטָן (satán, “adversary, accuser”). Doublet of shaitan.

Many Satanists reject the notion that Satan is bad.

1 And he shewed me Ioshua the high Priest, standing before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.
2 And the Lord said vnto Satan; The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan, euen the Lord that hath chosen Ierusalem rebuke thee. Is not this a brand pluckt out of the fire?

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Zechariah 3:1–2:

Would you two please draw in a little closer?
No — no, that’s not a smile there. That’s a grin.
Satan, what ails you? Where’s the famous tongue,
Thou onetime Prince of Conversationists?

Having been captured by the forces of Christ, the souls are now attacked for the first time by their former captain in “Satans Rage at them in their Conversion.″ Satan′s basic line of attack is to accuse the souls of being unreliable converts. Just as the souls turned from Satan to Christ, so too they will turn back again when it suits them, says Satan.

1997, Martin Schuldiner, “Puritan Casuistry”, in Martin Schuldiner, editor, The Tayloring Shop: Essays on the Poetry of Edward Taylor in Honor of Thomas M. and Virginia L. Davis, page 125:

The conventional role of Satan in English mystery plays was the Trickster archetype adapted for a theatre that was both popular and religious but constrained by traditional Christian theology.
The Satan of the mystery plays was a Trickster, but a dignified one.

1998, Wendy Griswold, “8: The Devil, social change, and Jacobean theatre”, in Philip Smith, editor, The New American Cultural Sociology, page 127:

Biblical scholars tell us that the idea of a purely evil being like the Devil or Satan was a late development in the Bible. In the book of Job, Satan was the heavenly district attorney whose job it was to test the faith of those who, like Job, were specially blessed.
During the Persian conquest of the Israelites, the Satan of Job became fused with the Zoroastrian dualistic theology adopted by the Persians, where two opposing forces, one of good, Ahura Mazda, the Supreme Creator deity, was in a constant battle with Ahriman, the absolute god of evil. This polarized dualism was present in the theology of the Essenes and took hold in Christianity where God and his Son Jesus were in constant battle with the highest fallen angel, Satan, for human souls. This dualism persists today only in fundamentalist religions (Muslim terrorists, the Taliban, the extreme Christian Right and a major part of evangelical Christianity).

2005, John Bradshaw, Healing the Shame That Binds You, page 2:

Conversational journaling isn't for everyone, but it can be both exciting and rewarding. The key is to listen to the three voices in your head and be sure you can identify which one is yours, which one is God's, and which one is evil, Satan, the dark side, or whatever you call those forces that would deceive your spirit and soul.

2005, William Tenny-Brittian, “The Joy of Journaling”, in Prayer for People Who Can't Sit Still, Chalice Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 22:

(religion) The supreme evil spirit in the Abrahamic religions, who tempts humanity into sin; the Devil; (in Theistic Satanism) the same figure, regarded as a deity to be revered and worshipped.


happy-clappy

(slang, derogatory) A member of a Christian church whose worship is characterized by enthusiasm and spontaneity.


henotheism

en-noun

henotheism (countable and uncountable, plural henotheisms)

/ˈhɛnəʊˌθiːɪz(ə)m/

From German Henotheismus, coined in the 19th century by German philosopher Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph von Schelling (1775–1854) from Ancient Greek ἕν (hén) (stem of εἷς (heîs, “one”)) + German Theismus (“theism”) (ultimately from Ancient Greek θεός (theós, “god”)).

There is one kind of oneness which does not exclude the idea of plurality; there is another which does. […] If, therefore, an expression had been given to that primitive intuition of the Deity, which is the mainspring of all later religion, it would have been—'There is a God,' but not yet 'There is but "One God."' The latter form of faith, the belief in One God, is properly called monotheism, whereas the term of henotheism would best express the faith in a single god.

1867, [Friedrich] Max Müller, “Semitic Monotheism”, in Chips from a German Workshop, volume I (Essays on the Science of Religion), London: Longmans, Green, and Co., →OCLC, pages 353–354:

[T]he form of worship presented to us in these most ancient documents [the Hindu Rigveda] of the Aryan people is what Professor Maxmüller [i.e., Max Müller] calls Henotheism, viz., the deity invoked for the time being is regarded as supreme, is extolled above the rest and is made the recipient of the worshipper's highest praises and most fervent supplications.

1898, Shamsul Ulama, Syed Ali Bilgrami, “Introduction”, in A Short Guide to the Cave Temples of Elura. With an Introduction, Madras: Reprinted by H. Plumbe, at the Lawrence Asylum Press, →OCLC, page 3:

In both ethnography/anthropology and ancient history scholars have sometimes sought to 'rescue' polytheism by arguing for an element of monolatry or henotheism, in which the power of one god in the pantheon is proclaimed as supreme. But the manoeuvre is conditioned by a Judaeo-Christian evaluation of monotheism. The terms 'polytheism' and 'monotheism' are best abandoned to the theologians.

1999, Simon Price, “Gods, Myths and Festivals”, in Religions of the Ancient Greeks, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, published 2004, →ISBN, page 11:

This new, enriched and reoriented Christian Platonic theology would then have the moral and intellectual resources to absorb the partial visions of Judaism and Islam and pagan henotheisms, preserving the best things in them and discarding the false and inferior things.

2017, James Hankins, “Marsilio Ficino and Christan Humanism”, in Jens Zimmermann, editor, Re-envisioning Christian Humanism: Education and the Restoration of Humanity, Oxford: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 72:

Belief in or worship of one deity without denying the existence of other deities.

Joseph Karl Stieler
Neue Pinakothek
henotheism


Mecca

From Arabic مَكَّة (Makka) of uncertain etymology. In American place names, in reference to the Arabian city.

A large city, the provincial capital of Mecca Province in the in the Hejaz region, Saudi Arabia, the holiest place in Islam, location of the sacred Ka'ba, and to which Muslims are required to make a hajj at least once in their lifetime, if possible.

census-designated place
census-designated place

Riverside County
Riverside County#English

A number of places in the United States:

A census-designated place in Riverside County, California.

A town in Wabash Township, Parke County, Indiana.

An unincorporated community in Clinton County, Missouri.

A township and unincorporated community in Trumbull County, Ohio.


Twelve Days of Christmas

The Twelve Days of Christmas (canonical)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-Twelve Days of Christmas.wav

The season or time made up of the twelve days between Christmas and Epiphany; Christmas season, Christmas time, Christmastide, Twelvetide. The Christmas season traditionally ended with the feast of the Epiphany on January 6.

the season or time made up of the twelve days between Christmas and Epiphany

اِثْنَا عَشَر يَوْمَا مِن عِيد الْمِيلَاد

བཅུ་གཉིས་ཉི་མའི་ཡེ་ཤུའི་འཁྲུངས་སྐར།

bcu gnyis nyi ma'i ye shu'i 'khrungs skar

An 18th-century English Christmas carol which describes a series of successively grand gifts given on each of the twelve days of Christmas.


Pentateuch

PIE word
 *pénkʷe
From Ancient Greek πεντάτευχος (pentáteukhos), from Ancient Greek πέντε (pénte, “five”) + τεῦχος (teûkhos, “tool, scroll, book”).

uder

The Torah: the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

חמישה חומשי תורה \ חֲמִשָּׁה חֻמְּשֵׁי תּוֹרָה


faculty

From Middle English faculte (“power, property”), from Old French faculte, from Latin facultas (“capability, ability, skill, abundance, plenty, stock, goods, property; in Medieval Latin also a body of teachers”), another form of facilitas (“easiness, facility, etc.”), from facul, another form of facilis (“easy, facile”); see facile. Doublet of facility.

der

(Church of England) A licence to make alterations to a church.


monism

en-noun

monism (countable and uncountable, plural monisms)

The word was coined by German philosopher Baron Christian von Wolff and first used in English in 1862, from New Latin monismus, from Ancient Greek μόνος (mónos, “alone”). By surface analysis, mon- + -ism.

(philosophy, religion) The doctrine of the oneness and unity of reality, despite the appearance of diversity in the world.


blasphemy

blasphemy (countable and uncountable, plural blasphemies)

From Middle English blasfemye, from Old French blasfemie, from Ecclesiastical Latin blasphēmia, from Ancient Greek βλασφημία (blasphēmía, “profanity”), from βλασφημέω (blasphēméō, “to slander”).

der

That imam said that drawing the prophet Muhammad was a form of blasphemy.

Had God cancelled His everlasting Covenant with Israel? The mere thought was blasphemy! But what did God's silence and the present dark cloud mean?

1920, John Rougier Cohu, The Bible and Modern Thought, page 325:

Look, I don't think it ought to be blasphemy, just saying "Jehovah".

1979, Monty Python's Life of Brian, spoken by Matthias (John Young):

Shepard: What happened to those other Alliance officers? The ones who came before me?
Major Kyle: They wanted to take me away from here! They wanted me to abandon this place. Turn my back on my family. They spoke blasphemy!
Major Kyle: I did what I could to make their end quick and painless. I had no other choice. It was necessary to protect my children. Only I can keep them safe.

2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Presrop:

The fundamentalists in that religion hold that such views are blasphemy and that religion is above criticism.

2009, Francis, Business Ethics, Tata McGraw-Hill Education, →ISBN, page 139:

An act of irreverence or contempt toward a god or toward something considered sacred; an impious act, utterance, view, etc.


anthropomorphism

en-noun

anthropomorphism (countable and uncountable, plural anthropomorphisms)

/ˌænθɹəpəˈmɔɹfɪzəm/

Coined in the mid-1700s. From Ancient Greek ἄνθρωπος (ánthrōpos, “man, human”) and μορφή (morphḗ, “form, shape”). By surface analysis, anthropo- + -morphism.

surf

(theology) The attribution of human characteristics to divine entities.


synagogue

/ˈsɪ.nəˌɡɒɡ/

/ˈsɪ.nəˌɡɑɡ/

From Middle English synagoge, from Old French synagoge, from Latin synagōga, from Ancient Greek σῠνᾰγωγή (sunagōgḗ, “assembly, gathering”), from συνάγω (sunágō, “I gather together”), from σῠ́ν (sún, “with, together”) + ᾰ̓́γω (ágō, “I lead”). By surface analysis, syn- + -agogue.

der

On Tuesday, Netanyahu and his wife toured Shanghai’s Ohel Moshe synagogue in the Hongkou district that was home to many of the 18,000 Jews granted refuge in Shanghai from the horrors of Nazi persecution.

2013 May 7, “Netanyahu: Jewish people capable of own defense”, in AP News, archived from the original on 2022-05-25:

A place of worship for Jews or Samaritans.

A congregation of Jews or Samaritans for the purpose of worship or religious study.


Jewish

From Jew + -ish. Compare Middle English Judewissh (“Jewish”), Old English Iūdēisċ (“Jewish”), Dutch joodsch, joods (“Jewish”), German jüdisch (“Jewish”), Danish jødisk (“Jewish”), Swedish judisk (“Jewish”), Gothic 𐌾𐌿𐌳𐌰𐌹𐍅𐌹𐍃𐌺𐍃 (judaiwisks, “Jewish”). See also Yiddish.

cog

The Statue of Liberty. A French gift with a poem made by a Jewish.

2022 November 26, ArgieSocDem, Twitter, archived from the original on 2022-12-09:

(non-native speakers' English, proscribed) A Jew.


fundamentalist

From fundamental + -ist, after a book series called “The Fundamentals: A Testimony to the Truth“ (1910).

(Christianity) Originally referred to an adherent of an American Christian movement that began as a response to the rejection of the accuracy of the Bible, the alleged deity of Christ, Christ's atonement for humanity, the virgin birth, and miracles.

fundamentalisti

adherent of a certain American Christian movement


immaculate

en-adj

immaculate (comparative more immaculate, superlative most immaculate)

more immaculate (comparative)
most immaculate (superlative)

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo
Museo del Prado

From Late Middle English immaculat, immaculate (“blameless; flawless, spotless; specifically of the Virgin Mary: pure, undefiled”), borrowed from Latin immaculātus (“unstained”), from im- (negative prefix) + maculātus (“stained, spotted; defiled, polluted; (figurative) dishonoured”), the perfect passive participle of maculō (“to spot, stain; to defile, pollute; (figurative) to dishonour”), from macula (“a blemish, spot, stain; (figurative) blot on one’s character, fault”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *smh₂-tló-m (“wiping (?)”), from *smeh₁- (“to rub; to smear”). The word displaced Middle English unwemmed (“pure, untainted”). See also -ate (adjective-forming suffix).
cognates
* Catalan immaculat
* Italian immacolato, immaculato (obsolete)
* Middle French immaculé (modern French immaculé)
* Portuguese imaculado
* Spanish inmaculado

ref

From the collection of the Museo del Prado in Madrid, Spain.

perfek

containing no mistakes — see also flawless

(Roman Catholicism) Of the Virgin Mary or her womb: pure, undefiled.

onbevlekte

of the Virgin Mary or her womb: pure, undefiled — see also undefiled


Eber

(biblical) the son of Salah and the father of Joktan and Peleg.


shul

From Yiddish שול (shul, “school, synagogue”), from Old High German scuola (“school”), from Latin schola, from Ancient Greek σχολή (skholḗ). Doublet of schola and school.

That Asher's mind would have also been on Elohim, at this moment receiving prayers in Asher's shul, goes without saying.

2006, Howard Jacobson, Kalooki Nights, Vintage, published 2007, page 146:

Unfortunately, she has used the attack as a launch pad for a bizarre and undercooked exercise in rhetorical bothsidesism, in which she argues that American Jews should be just as worried about college students who overzealously criticize Israel as they are about the aspiring Einsatzgruppen who shoot up shuls.

2019 September 6, Jordan Weissman, “How Not to Fight Anti-Semitism”, in Slate:

The other reason he has upped his synagogue attendance is more positive. “My life has been about introducing everyone to everyone and going to shul can be like one big party.

2023 July 27, Nicole Lampert, quoting Philip Sallon, “Meet the colourful shul regular who admits: ‘I’m quite an extreme person’”, in The Jewish Chronicle:


skeptic

Borrowed from Middle French sceptique (but with a pronunciation closer to that of the Greek etymon), or possibly directly from Late Latin scepticus (originally attested only in the plural Scepticī (“the sect of Skeptics”)), from Ancient Greek σκεπτικός (skeptikós, “thoughtful, inquiring”), from σκέπτομαι (sképtomai, “I consider”), compare to σκοπέω (skopéō, “I view, examine”).

der

(in particular) Someone who is skeptical towards religion.


fundamentalism

en-noun

fundamentalism (countable and uncountable, plural fundamentalisms)

From fundamental + -ism. Started being used in the 1910s by American Christians.
:* Colin Woodard (2011) chapter 24, in American nations:
"Christian fundamentalism appeared in North America in reaction to the liberal theologies that were becoming dominant in the northern nations. It took its name from The Fundamentals, a twelve-volume attack on liberal theology, evolution, atheism, socialism, Mormons, Catholics, Christian Scientists, and Jehovah’s Witnesses written by Appalachian Baptist preacher A. C. Dixon.”

(religion) The tendency to reduce a religion to its most fundamental tenets, based on strict interpretation of core texts.


nativity

nativity (countable and uncountable, plural nativities)

From Middle English nativite, from Anglo-Norman nativite, Middle French nativite, and their source, Latin nātīvitās (“birth”). See also naïveté.

Be it therefore enacted by the authority of this present parliament, that the said statute of repeal, and every thing therein contained […] shall be void and of none effect, from, and after the feast of the Nativity of S. John Baptist, next coming.

1559, “An Act for the uniformity of Common Prayer, and Service in the Church, and the administration of the Sacraments”, in William Keatinge Clay, editor, Liturgical Services: Liturgies and occasional forms of prayer set forth in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, Cambridge University Press, published 1847, page 27:

1624, will of Edmond Heywood of the parish of Christchurch London, cited in Katharine Lee Bates, “A Conjecture as to Thomas Heywood’s Family,” The Journal of English and German Philology, Volume 12, 1913, p. 96,
Alsoe I give to the poore of the parish of Christchurch The some of Sixe poundes to be disposed of in this sorte that is to saie, three poundes thereof in Bread on the daie of my funeralle and the other three poundes in bread alsoe on the feast of the Nativitie of our lord then next followinge […]

Occasionally, too, he ventured to bring her some ghostly present—such as a picture of the Madonna and child, or one of those little naked images which are hawked about the streets at the nativity.

1835, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “Martin Franc and the Monk of St. Anthony”, in Outre-Mer: A Pilgrimage Beyond the Sea, volume I, New York: Harper & Bros., pages 33–34:

The earliest mention of the 25th of December as Christmas Day is found in an ancient catalogue of Church festivals about A.D. 354. And it is surprising to see with what alacrity the date was received and the Nativity celebrated throughout Christendom.

1894, Henry van Dyke, The Christ-Child in Art: A Study of Interpretation, New York: Harper & Brothers, page 61:

The edition of 1564 contains 23 festival days, the following being a list in Kalendar order. […] 24 June—Nativity of John Baptist; […] 8 Sept.—Nativity of Mary […]

1956, John A. Lamb, The Kalendar of The Book of Common Order, 1564-1644, page 19:

(Christianity, also with capital initial) The festival celebrating the birth of Jesus, Christmas Day; the festival celebrating the birth of the Virgin Mary or the birth of Saint John the Baptist.


archimandrite

/ˌɑːkɪˈmændɹaɪt/

Borrowed from French archimandrite, from Latin archimandrīta, from late Ancient Greek ἀρχιμανδρίτης (arkhimandrítēs), from ἀρχι- (arkhi-, “highest”) + μάνδρα (mándra, “enclosure, cloister, monastery”) + -ῑ́της (-ī́tēs, “member of”).

uder

ἀρχιμανδρίτης

My predecessors generally preferred to live and work in the monastery proper, but I like the solitude of the caves. I have been an archimandrite, here at Pskov, since 1915 and a humble monk for twenty years before that.

2020, Ben Creed, City of Ghosts, London: Welbeck Publishing, →ISBN, page 145:

(Eastern Orthodoxy) The superior of a large monastery, or group of monasteries, in the Orthodox Church.

архимандрит

(Eastern Orthodoxy, rarely Catholicism) An honorary title sometimes given to a monastic priest.


pray

en-verb

pray (third-person singular simple present prays, present participle praying, simple past and past participle prayed)

prays (present singular third-person)
praying (participle present)
prayed (participle past)
prayed (past)

From Middle English preien, from Anglo-Norman preier, from Old French preier, proier (French prier), from Latin precārī, from prex, precis (“a prayer, a request”), from Proto-Italic *preks, from Proto-Indo-European *preḱ- (“to ask, woo”).
Cognate via Indo-European of Old English frignan, fricgan, German fragen, Dutch vragen. Compare deprecate, imprecate, precarious.

der

Muslims pray in the direction of Mecca.

Pray to the small gods and hope that they may hear thee. Yet what mercy should the small gods have, who themselves made Death and Pain; or shall they restrain their old hound Time for thee?

1905, Lord Dunsany [i.e., Edward Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany], The Gods of Pegāna, London: [Charles] Elkin Mathews, […], →OCLC:

The critically low level of rainfall in the second half of 2020 – approaching 50% year on year for November – led the religious affairs directorate to instruct imams and their congregations to pray for rain last month.

2021 January 13, Bethan McKernan, “Turkey drought: Istanbul could run out of water in 45 days”, in The Guardian:

(religion) To direct words, thoughts, or one's attention to a deity or any higher being, for the sake of adoration, thanks, petition for help, etc.


genie

From French génie (“genius, genie”), a phono-semantic matching of Arabic جِنِّيّ (jinniyy).

psm

(Islam) A jinn, a being descended from the jann, normally invisible to the human eye, but who may also appear in animal or human form.


end times

And I can hear it loud and clear / The world is ending, and what do I care? / She's gone, end times are here

2010, Mark Oliver Everett (lyrics and music), “End Times”, performed by Eels:

Robert Jeffress, the pastor of First Baptist Dallas, said in an interview that Mr. Van Impe’s premillennial view of the end times paved the way for his own ministry and that of other popular preachers like John Hagee and David Jeremiah.

2020 January 22, Elizabeth Dias, “Jack Van Impe, End Times Preacher on TV, Is Dead at 88”, in The New York Times:

(Christianity) The days leading up to the second coming of the Messiah (Christ), when the world will be judged.

ахырызаман

the days leading up to the second coming of the Messiah

Both Islam and Christianity have a strong eschatology (view of the end times) that comes from their worldview.

2004, William Wagner, How Islam Plans to Change the World, Kregel Publications, →ISBN, page 210:

The coming of the Mahdi during the end—times […]

2012, Henry Bayman, The Teachings of a Perfect Master, Page 169

(Islam) The days leading to the coming of the Mahdi, the Messiah or Judgment Day.

Hellenistic Judaism was familiar with the idea that deceit is characteristic of the end times (see T. Levi 10:2; 16:1).

2002, Raymond F. Collins, I & II Timothy and Titus: A Commentary, Westminster John Knox Press, →ISBN, page 113:

The apocalyptic writings are at times quite fascinating, especially since they stand in some relationship to the apocalyptic visions of the end times found in both the OT and NT.

2002, Larry R. Helyer, Exploring Jewish Literature of the Second Temple Period: A Guide for New Testament Students, InterVarsity Press, →ISBN, page 22:

(Christianity) Corresponding periods in other religious traditions.


soteriology

en-noun

soteriology (countable and uncountable, plural soteriologies)

/səʊtɪəɹɪˈɒləd͡ʒi/

From Ancient Greek σωτηρία (sōtēría, “salvation”) + -ology, from σωτήρ (sōtḗr, “savior”).

af

BY the Soteriology of the Bible we mean the Doctrine of the Messiah's mediatorial work for man's salvation, as gradually revealed in Holy Scripture.

1876, John Pilkington Norris, Rudiments of Theology, E. P. Dutton, page 172:

1998 [Mohr Siebeck], Timo Eskola, Theodicy and Predestination in Pauline Soteriology, 2018, Wipf and Stock, page 302,
As we have seen during this study, most interpreters of Paul's theology have concluded that his soteriology is of a mystical nature.

2012, Richard Lints, 11: Soteriology, Kelly M. Kapic, Bruce L. McCormack (editors), Mapping Modern Theology, Baker Publishing Group (Baker Academic), page 264,
Transformationist soteriologies in the nineteenth century supposed that the transformation of individuals by the gospel surely impacted their relation to God while relational soteriologies of the same period inevitably discussed the implications of Christianity upon the character of those who believed it.

The issue of soteriology in the fourth gospel remains vexed.

2022, R. G. William Loader, Christology, Soteriology, and Ethics in John and Hebrews, Mohr Siebeck, page 139:

(theology) The study or doctrine of salvation.


Sephardi

en-noun

Sephardi (plural Sephardis or Sephardim)

a Jew of Iberian ancestry, whose native language was Ladino


Most High

(religion) One of the titles of God. Supreme, most magnificent.


Tara

(Buddhism) A female Buddha typically associated with Buddhist tantra practice as preserved in Tibetan Buddhism. She is the "mother of liberation", and represents the virtues of success in work and achievements.


antichrist

See Antichrist. By surface analysis, anti- + Christ.

I am an antichrist / And I am an anarchist / Don't know what I want / But I know how to get it

1976, “Anarchy in the U.K.”, performed by Sex Pistols:

One who works against the teachings of Christ.

antichris

someone that works against the teachings of Christ


aureole

/ˈɔː.ɹiː.əʊl/

From Middle English aureole, from Old French aureole, from Medieval Latin aureola (corona) ("golden (crown)").

(theology) Alternative form of aureola (“increment to blessedness”)


catechism

From Late Latin catechismus, from Ancient Greek *κατηχισμός (*katēkhismós), from κατηχίζω (katēkhízō, “to catechize”), a later extended form of κατηχέω (katēkhéō, “to catechize, instruct, teach by word of mouth”), from κατά (katá, “down”) + ἠχέω (ēkhéō, “to sound, resound”).

der

A book, in question and answer form, summarizing the basic principles of Christianity.

catecismu

book summarizing the principles of Christianity


Zion

Zion
Zion (Latter Day Saints)
Zion (disambiguation)#Places

Inherited from Old English, from Ecclesiastical Latin Sion, from Hebrew ציון (tsiyón).

(Mormonism) An association of the righteous.


Stephen

From Latin Stephanus, from Ancient Greek Στέφανος (Stéphanos), from στέφανος (stéphanos, “crown, wreath”), from στέφω (stéphō, “to put round, to surround”).
From *stegʷʰ- (“to enlace”) + -νος (-nos, suffix forming an adjective or noun) from Proto-Indo-European *-nós (suffix forming a verbal adjective from a verb stem).

A minor city in Marshall County, Minnesota, United States, named after George Stephen.


testimony

en-noun

testimony (countable and uncountable, plural testimonies)

PIE word
 *tréyes
Inherited from Middle English testimonie, from Old French testimonie, from Latin testimōnium (“testimony”).

inh+

(religion) In a church service (or religious service), a personal account, such as one's conversion, testimony of faith, or life testimony.


eucharistic

en-adj

eucharistic (comparative more eucharistic, superlative most eucharistic)

more eucharistic (comparative)
most eucharistic (superlative)

The eucharistic sacrament.

1849, George Cornewall Lewis, An Essay on the Influence of Authority in Matters of Opinion:

(Christianity) Pertaining to the Eucharist.


blaspheme

en-verb

blaspheme (third-person singular simple present blasphemes, present participle blaspheming, simple past and past participle blasphemed)

blasphemes (present singular third-person)
blaspheming (participle present)
blasphemed (participle past)
blasphemed (past)

From Middle English blasfemen, blasphemen, from Old French blasfemer, from Late Latin blasphēmāre, from Ancient Greek βλασφημέω (blasphēméō). Doublet of blame.

But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Mark 3:29:

Thus from the holy Warres are we return'd, / To ſlumber in the Summer of ſoft peace, / Since thoſe proud enemies that late blaſpheamd / And ſpit their furies in the face of Heaven, / Are now laid low in duſt.

1637, Thomas Heywood, The Royall King, and the Loyall Subject. […], London: […] Nich[olas] and John Okes, for James Becket, […], →OCLC, Act I, signature [A4], recto:

Mrs. Murphy: Don't you blaspheme in here!

(intransitive) To commit blasphemy; to speak against God or religious doctrine.

جَدَّفَ عَلَى

So Dagon ſhall be magnifi'd, and God, / Beſides whom is no God, compar'd with Idols, / Diſglorifi'd, blaſphem'd, and had in ſcorn […]

1671, John Milton, “Samson Agonistes, […].”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC, page 32:

How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge thyself on all those who thus continually blaspheme thy great and all-glorious name?

a. 1708, William Beveridge, A Form of Sound Words to be used by Ministers:

(transitive) To speak of, or address, with impious irreverence; to revile impiously (anything sacred).


blaspheme

From Middle English blasfeme, blasphem, blaspheme, from Middle French blaspheme, from Old French blasfeme, from Ecclesiastical Latin blasphēmia, from Ancient Greek βλασφημία (blasphēmía).


cloister

Recorded since about 1300 as Middle English cloistre, borrowed from Old French cloistre, clostre, or via Old English clauster, both from Medieval Latin claustrum (“portion of monastery closed off to laity”), from Latin claustrum (“place shut in, bar, bolt, enclosure”), a derivation of the past participle of claudere (“to close”). Doublet of claustrum.

der

A covered walk with an open colonnade on one side, running along the walls of buildings that face a quadrangle; especially:

such an arcade fitted with representations of the stages of Christ's Passion.


cloister

en-verb

cloister (third-person singular simple present cloisters, present participle cloistering, simple past and past participle cloistered)

cloisters (present singular third-person)
cloistering (participle present)
cloistered (participle past)
cloistered (past)

(intransitive) To become a Roman Catholic religious.


rabbi

en-noun

rabbi (plural rabbis or (archaic) rabbies)

rabbis (plural)
rabbies (archaic plural)

From Middle English raby, from Ecclesiastical Latin rabbi, and its source Koine Greek ῥαββί (rhabbí), from (post-Tanakh) Hebrew רַבִּי (rabbi, “my master”), from רַב (rav, “master [of]”) + ־י (-i, “me”). Compare late Old English rabbi. Doublet of rebbe.

suffix

Next, R. Moskowitz brings us to the Slonimer Rebbe, a late 20th century Hasidic rabbi, who taught that the evil of Esav was that very sense of completion, the self-perception that he had no need for growth or further transformation.

2019, Rachel Timoner, “Book Review: Textual Activism by Rabbi Mike Moskowitz”, in Tikkun:

A Jewish scholar or teacher of halacha (Jewish law), capable of making halachic decisions.


papist

From Middle French papiste, from Latin pāpa (“pope”).

(religious slur, Christianity) A Roman Catholic, especially one whose loyalties are seen to be with the papacy in Rome.


papist

en-adj

papist (comparative more papist, superlative most papist)

more papist (comparative)
most papist (superlative)

However, Menem promptly surprised many observers (and most of his voters) by forming an alliance with Alsogaray, and becoming more papist than the Pope in economic orthodoxy.

2011, Jill Hedges, Argentina: A Modern History:

(religious slur, Christianity) Roman Catholic.


kindred

en-noun

kindred (countable and uncountable, plural kindreds)

From Middle English kyndrede, from older kynrede (“kindred”), from Old English cynrēd, cynrǣden (“kindred, family, stock”), from cynn (“kind, kin, lineage”) + -rǣden (“condition, state”). Equivalent to kin + -red, see these. The -d- is epenthetic between a nasal and a liquid (as e.g. in spindle).

We talked with Jonina about our kindred, Heathenry in the United States, Asatru in Iceland, and the details of our religious practice.[…]

2009, Mark Ludwig Stinson, Heathen Gods: A Collection of Essays Concerning the Folkway of Our People, page 174:

Your chosen kindred or other group is a Venn circle that contains you, but it may not be the same circle as your family.

2013 November 8, Patricia M. Lafayllve, A Practical Heathen's Guide to Asatru, Llewellyn Worldwide, →ISBN, page 117:

Not all, but many people believe that if you're not in a kindred, then you are not a real Norse Pagan or heathen.

2019 May 20, Theodoric Dukka, A Heathen's Guide: Experiences & Advice On Magic & Spiritworking, →ISBN, page 101:

(countable, Germanic paganism) A household or group following the modern pagan faith of Heathenry or Ásatrú.


Elizabeth

en-proper noun

Elizabeth (countable and uncountable, plural Elizabeths)

From Middle English Elizabeth, from the Ancient Greek Ἐλισάβετ (Elisábet), a transliteration of the Old Testament Biblical Hebrew אלישבע (Elisheva, “my God is an oath”). See El and שבועה. Doublet of Elisheba.

der

A locale in the United States.
A village in Allen Parish, Louisiana.


Chaldea

A region in the southern portion of Babylonia, Lower Mesopotamia, lying chiefly on the right bank of the Euphrates, but commonly used to refer to the whole of the Mesopotamian plain.


Krishna

en-prop

Krishna (countable and uncountable, plural Krishnas)

(Hinduism) A deity worshiped across many traditions of Hinduism.


priory

A monastery or convent governed by a prior or prioress.


Gabriel

From Latin Gabriel, from Ancient Greek Γαβρῑήλ (Gabrīḗl), from Hebrew גַּבְרִיאֵל (gaḇrīʾḗl, “God is my strong man”), from גֶּבֶר (géver, “strong man, hero”) and אֵל (ʾēl, “God, deity”), from Proto-Semitic *ʾil-. Doublet of Jibril.

der

Yea, it seems to me not fit for Christian humility to call a man Gabriel or Michael, giving the names of angels to the sons of mortality.

1629, Thomas Adams, Meditations upon Creed, The Works of Thomas Adams, James Nichol (1862), volume 3, page 212

"I'm the only Gabriel in the whole school," I told my father. "You don't have to whisper it from the tomb, lad. You should thank your mother and me for giving you a handle that people notice. You ought to be pleased, not down in the dumps. Backstreet Gabriels aren't bumped into on every corner, remember.

1986, Paul Bailey, Gabriel's Lament, Viking, published 1987, →ISBN, page 20:

Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.

And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,

An archangel associated in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, with carrying messages from God.


vicar

→ Welsh: ficer

From Middle English vicar, viker, vikyr, vicaire, vicare, a borrowing from Anglo-Norman vikare, vicare, vikaire, vikere and Old French vicaire (“deputy, second in command”), from Latin vicārius (“vicarious, substitute”).

In the Roman Catholic and some other churches, a cleric acting as local representative of a higher ranking member of the clergy.

наме́стник

local representative of higher-ranking member of clergy

Near-synonyms: proxy, representative, agent

A person acting on behalf of, or representing, another person.


harvest

en-noun

harvest (countable and uncountable, plural harvests)

From Middle English harvest, hervest, from Old English hærfest (“autumn, harvest-time; August”), from Proto-West Germanic *harbist, from Proto-Germanic *harbistaz (“harvest-time, autumn, fall”), from *harbaz, from Proto-Indo-European *kerp-.
Cognates:
Cognate with Sylt North Frisian Hārefst, West Frisian hjerst, Dutch herfst, German Herbst, German Low German Harvst, Danish and Norwegian Bokmål høst, Norwegian Nynorsk haust; further with Latin carpere (“to seize”), Ancient Greek καρπός (karpós, “fruit”), κείρω (keírō, “to cut off”).

inh

(paganism) A modern pagan ceremony held on or around the autumn equinox, which is in the harvesting season.


Chaldean

From Ancient Greek Χαλδαῖος (Khaldaîos).


Cupid

From Latin Cupīdō, personification of cupīdō (“desire, desire of love”), from cupidus (“eager, greedy, passionate”), from cupere (“to desire”).

The myth of Cupid and Psyche was one of the most influential romances in European culture.

(Roman mythology) The god of love, son of Venus; sometimes depicted as a putto (a naked, winged boy with bow and arrow). The Roman counterpart of Eros.


basilica

en-noun

basilica (plural basilicas or basilicae)

Borrowed from Latin basilica, from Ancient Greek βᾰσῐλῐκή (basilikḗ), from βᾰσῐλῐκὴ στοά (basilikḕ stoá, “royal hall”), ultimately from βασιλικός (basilikós, “royal”), from βασιλεύς (basileús, “king, chief”). Doublet of basoche.

A Roman Catholic church or cathedral with basilican status, an honorific status granted by the pope to recognize its historical, architectural, or sacramental importance.


deicide

deicide (countable and uncountable, plural deicides)

(Christianity, theology) The crucifixion of Jesus, viewed as a crime.


Eastern Orthodox

Eastern Orthodox Church
Eastern Orthodox Church

Pertaining to the faith, practices, etc. of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

հունադավան

pertaining to the Eastern Orthodox Church


oh my heck

(US, Mormonism, euphemistic) for "Hell" from "Oh my hell" or "Oh hell!"


Nebuchadnezzar

/ˌnɛbəkəˈnɛzɚ/

Learned borrowing from Biblical Hebrew נְבוּכַדְנֶאצַּר (Nəḇûḵaḏneʾṣṣár), a corruption of earlier נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר (Nəḇûḵaḏreʾṣṣár), from Akkadian 𒀭𒀝𒃻𒁺𒋀 (Nabû-kudurrī-uṣur, “Nabu protect my boundary/heir”).

lbor

נְבוּכַדְנֶאצַּר

Nəḇûḵaḏneʾṣṣár

der

A ruler of Babylon in the Chaldean Dynasty who reigned c. 605 B.C.E. – 562 B.C.E.. According to the Bible, he conquered Judah and Jerusalem, and sent the Israelites into exile.


Bible basher

Coordinate term: Koran basher (“fundamentalist Muslim”)

I don't ever go to my local church any more: it's become filled with stupid, fuddy-duddy Bible bashers.

I was a real Bible basher. I used to rush round asking people if they were saved.

1969, April Hersey, Hooked on God : the Wayside Chapel experiment, Melbourne: Sun Books, →LCCN, LCC BV2656.S9 W35, page 106:

There is a skinny old bible basher who is always out gathering souls, regardless of the weather.

2008, Ian Commins, Fiveways, Queensland: University of Queensland Press, →ISBN, page 73:

(derogatory) A fundamentalist Christian preacher, or other fervent Christian, who is seen to take every opportunity to talk about Christianity and attempt to convert those around them.

I'm no bible-basher looking to discredit everything I hear, but there is one point that might be interesting to argue...If the bible is the Word of God, which version or language is the official Word, as the meanings change subtley^([sic]) from one to another?

2002, Everett Hickey, “Biblical”, in alt.astronomy (Usenet):

There *are* no "Biblical contradictions". Years ago, I...addressed many, many, many alleged "contradictions". It's a very sad state of affairs, most Bible bashers who claim "contradictions" prefer quantity over quality, and no matter how many *ridiculous* claims they came up with and I demolished, they would continue with others...

2003, Jeff Shirton, “Conference...”, in alt.religion.mormon (Usenet):

2006, veralein, How to protect yourself against false Christian teachers in alt.christnet.christianlife http://groups.google.com/group/alt.christnet.christianlife/browse_thread/thread/80f36af2e40d135a/15e69f2a5f0959de?lnk=st&q=%22bible+basher%22+against+-deicide&rnum=6&hl=en#15e69f2a5f0959de
I think you are just a Bible basher for what reasons ever. Maybe you are just an atheist who has pleasure in trolling Christians and recruiting them.

A person who finds fault with the Bible, Christianity, or Christian teaching.


Hinduism

en-proper noun

Hinduism (countable and uncountable, plural Hinduisms)

Mordin: Wheel of life. Popular salarian concept. Similar to human Hinduism in focus on reincarnation.
Mordin: Appealing to see life as endless. Fix mistakes in next life. Learn, adapt, improve.
Mordin: Refuse to believe life ends here. Too wasteful. Have much more to offer. Mistakes to fix. Cannot end here. Could do so much more.

2010, BioWare, Mass Effect 2 (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Tuchanka:

A religion, philosophy and culture native to India, characterized by the belief in reincarnation and a supreme oneness personified in many forms and natures.


Sikhism

A revealed, monotheistic religion originating in northern India, in the 15th century, through Guru Nanak and his successors.


rector

Inherited from Middle English rectour, rector, from Old French rector, rectour and Latin rēctor.

It was a joy to snatch some brief respite, and find himself in the rectory drawing–room. Listening here was as pleasant as talking; just to watch was pleasant. The young priests who lived here wore cassocks and birettas; their faces were fine and mild, yet really strong, like the rector's face; and in their intercourse with him and his wife they seemed to be brothers.

1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter X, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:

In the Anglican Church, a cleric in charge of a parish and who owns the tithes of it.

(Eastern Orthodoxy, uncommon) A priest or bishop in the Orthodox Church who is in charge of a parish or in an administrative leadership position in a theological seminary or academy.


cathedral

Ellipsis of cathedral church, from Middle English chirche cathederall, cathedrall chirch, calque of Late Latin ecclēsia cathedrālis (“church serving as the bishop's or archbishop's office”), from Latin ecclēsia + cathedrālis. Displaced Old English hēafodċiriċe (literally “main church, head church”).

ncog

The principal church serving as the office (and some as place of residence) of an archdiocese's/a diocese's archbishop/bishop which is symbolized by an episcopal throne known as the cathedra.

katedraal

church serving as the office of the diocese's bishop and archdiocese's archbishop


swastika

en-noun

swastika (countable and uncountable, plural swastikas)

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit स्वस्तिक (svastika), from सु- (su-, “good, well”) + अस्ति (asti), a verbal abstract of the root of the verb "to be", स्वस्ति (svasti) thus meaning "well-being" — and the diminutive suffix क (ka); hence "little thing associated with well-being", corresponding roughly to "lucky charm". First attestation in English in 1871, a Sanskritism that replaced the Grecian term gammadion. From 1932 onwards it often referred specifically to the version used by the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (also called the "hooked cross", or German Hakenkreuz).

sauwastika

left-facing; symbolizing the night or the tantric aspects of Kali

This was signed by Dana Da, who added pentacles and pentagrams, and a crux ansata, and half-a-dozen swastikas, and a Triple Tau to his name, just to show that he was all he laid claim to be.

1888, Rudyard Kipling, “The Sending of Dana Da”, in In Black and White, Folio Society, published 2005, pages 423–4:

It is clear from archaeological finds that they enjoyed wearing Christian crosses, though they might enliven these with such symbols as the Indian swastika which Buddhists had brought them.

2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity, Penguin, published 2010, page 270:

(countable) A cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle to the right or to the left, used as a religious symbol by various ancient and modern civilizations, but now mainly seen and used in the West (with arms angled to the right) as a symbol of Nazism and fascism.

swastika

a cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle


institution

en-noun

institution (countable and uncountable, plural institutions)

/ˌɪnstɪˈtʃuːʃən/

From Middle English institucioun, from Old French institution, from Latin institūtiō, from instituō (“to set up”), from in- (“in, on”) + statuō (“to set up, establish”).

(Christianity) The act by which a bishop commits a cure of souls to a priest.


correspondence

correspondence (countable and uncountable, plural correspondences)

From Middle English correspondence, from Latin correspondentia. By surface analysis, correspond + -ence.

Congruity or similarity between different things, people, etc:

(theology, Swedenborgianism) A similarity between physical and spiritual things (e.g. light to wisdom, or warmth to love)


Lord of Misrule

Lord of Misrule (plural Lords of Misrule)

(in feudal Britain) A mock officer, appointed by lot, to preside over the Feast of Fools in a great household at Christmas.


sulla

Borrowed from Punjabi ਸੁੱਲ (sulla), a mispronunciation of Punjabi ਮੁੱਲਾ (mullā, “mullah, Islamic religious leader”), derived from Classical Persian ملا (mullā), from Arabic مُلَّا (mullā).

der

(South Asia, religious slur, ethnic slur) A Muslim man; especially one from Pakistan.


Selene

From the Ancient Greek Σελήνη (Selḗnē, proper noun), from σέλας (sélas, “light”).

Balancing Arria is the union of Selene and Endymion. In the center of the main panel Selene descends from her chariot, whose horses are held by a nymph, to join Endymion, who lies to the right.

1999, Mark P. O. Morford, Robert J. Lenardon, Classical Mythology, page 43:

In the other, more famous story, the moon goddess Selene fell in love with him^([Endymion]) while he was asleep.

2005, Marshall Cavendish Corporation, Gods, Goddesses, and Mythology, volume 4, page 473:

This fragmentary front panel of a sarcophagus preserves two episodes from the story of Endymion and Selene. Selene, goddess of the moon, fell in love with Endymion, a beautiful young mortal.

2010, J. Paul Getty Trust, Kenneth Lapatin, Karol Wight, editors, The J. Paul Getty Museum Handbook of the Antiquities Collection, 2nd edition, page 169:

(Greek mythology) The goddess of the Moon.


ital

en-noun

ital (countable and uncountable, plural itals)

On the other side of the spectrum are the many ital restaurants that adhere to the Rastafarian dietary laws (no meat, fish or salt).

2009 November 11, Baz Dreisingere, “Kingston: Trading Beach Chairs for Bar Stools”, in The New York Times:

The minister declined the offer of a parley and "itals"―the term for vegetarian dishes that the Dreads favored.

2016, Gabriel J. Christian, Aboard the Commandante Pineres: Dominica, The 11th World Festival of Youth & Students, Cuba July 1978, & the Caribbean Struggle for National Liberation:

(Jamaica, Iyaric) Pure, natural food suiting a Rastafari lifestyle.


revealed

(religion) Of or pertaining to the revelations of a divinity to humankind.


polity

polity (countable and uncountable, plural polities)

From Middle French politie, from Latin polītīa, from Ancient Greek πολιτεία (politeía, “polity, policy, the state”). Doublet of policy and police.

der

Church polity was a topic of fierce dispute in 17th-century Britain.

Once exposed, Confucianism was to become a political issue, an alternative among other contending ideologies which threatened to change the polity of the empire.

1979, Jerome Ch’en, China and the West: Society and Culture, 1815–1937, page 270:

The utopian community at Ephrata flourished for forty years, and the last celibates at Ephrata died after the turn of the century. It had continuing influences reaching far into the nineteenth century, and in some measure anticipated Mormon polity and cosmology.

1994, John L. Brooke, The Refiner’s Fire: The Making of Mormon Cosmology, 1644–1844, →ISBN, page 42:

Of course, other visions of Buddhist polity and its relationship to monastic life have occurred throughout the Buddhist world. For example in the seventeenth century Tibetan Buddhists successfully established a theocracy under the guidance of monks […]

2011, Jason A. Carbine, Sons of the Buddha: Continuities and Ruptures in a Burmese Monastic Tradition, →ISBN, page 9, note 26:

(politics, religion, usually uncountable) Organizational structure and governance, especially of a state or a religion.


Gregorian calendar

Named after Pope Gregory XIII who decreed it should be used.

The calendar currently used in the western world. It replaced the Julian calendar and was devised to halt the slow drift of the vernal equinox towards earlier in the year.


dedicate

From Latin dēdicātus, past participle of dēdicō (“I dedicate, proclaim”).

Glancing at the crowd of onlookers, she said, “I know that service at the dining hall will be over soon”—instantly a few dedicates and all of the novices hurried away—“and some of us here would like to prepare our own meal.” […] Out of sight of the dedicates, she climbed over the short fence and escaped to Winding Circle's biggest library.

2011 September 1, Tamora Pierce, Circle of Magic #1: Sandry's Book, Scholastic Inc., →ISBN:

Initiation—When a dedicate is seen on all levels to be learning and doing more as they participate in the circle and aids with rituals and/or divination, an initiation is decided on with the priest or priestess and dedicate.

2015 April 8, Dracaena Paxx, The Sacred Spiral: Unlocking Ones Infinite Potential, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN:

Through this rune of compassion, feelings of pain are transferred from the dedicates to Fallion. Lord Despair then proceeds to torture the dedicates so that Fallion would feel the pain of the tortures without being physically harmed[…]

2019 November 14, Charul Palmer-Patel, The Shape of Fantasy: Investigating the Structure of American Heroic Epic Fantasy, Routledge, →ISBN:

Rowan Cortak stood with the rest of the dedicates.

2022 September 27, Chad Corrie, The Wizard King Trilogy Boxed Set, Dark Horse Books, →ISBN, page 24:

(chiefly fantasy and paganism) One who dedicates themselves, or who is dedicated, to the service of some leader, religion, etc.


humanism

en-noun

humanism (usually uncountable, plural humanisms)

From human + -ism, borrowed from German Humanismus, coined by Friedrich Immanuel Niethammer in 1808.

An ethical system that centers on humans and their values, needs, interests, abilities, dignity and freedom; especially used for a secular one which rejects theistic religion and superstition.


clerk

From Middle English clerc, from Old English clerc, from Late Latin clēricus (“priest, clergyman, cleric”, also generally “learned man, clerk”), from Ancient Greek κληρικός (klērikós, “of the clergy”, adj. in church jargon), from κλῆρος (klêros, “lot, inheritance”, originally “shard used in casting lots”). Doublet of cleric.

der

(Quakerism) A facilitator of a Quaker meeting for business affairs.


burka

From Hindustani برقع / बुरक़ा (burqā), from Classical Persian برقع (burqa'), from Arabic بُرْقُع (burquʕ).

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-burka.wav

A Central Asian garment that covers the whole body, which has a net screen covering the eyes so they cannot be seen, and is worn by women.

بُرْقُع

female garment that covers the whole body


Rastafarianism

From Rastafarian + -ism, from Amharic ራስ ተፈሪ (ras täfäri, from ራስ (ras, “chief, head”) + ተፈሪ (täfäri, “revered”)), a title of Haile Selassie.

uder

A religion that emerged in Jamaica in the 1930s out of biblical prophecy and rising black aspirations.


simony

en-noun

simony (countable and uncountable, plural simonies)

From Old French simonie, from Late Latin simonia, named after Simon Magus (Hebrew שִׁמְעוֹן (Šimʻôn, “Simon”)), with reference to Acts 8:18–20.

To his eyes it had no attraction; it savoured of simony, and was likely to bring down upon him harder and more deserved strictures than any he had yet received: he positively declined to become vicar of Puddingdale under any circumstances.

1855, Anthony Trollope, chapter 20, in The Warden:

‘There are those two,’ he then said, ‘who were recently arraigned on a charge of high simony. Fancying a monstrance and stealing it and proposing to sell it. They pleaded the usual pagan ignorance.’

1989, Anthony Burgess, “Hun”, in The Devil’s Mode:

He openly practiced simony; in other words, he sold benefices.

2007, Edwin Mullins, The Popes of Avignon, Blue Bridge, published 2008, page 37:

The buying or selling of spiritual or sacred things, such as ecclesiastical offices, pardons, or consecrated objects.

սիմոնականություն

act of buying or selling spiritual things


Thalia

From Ancient Greek Θαλία (Thalía) or Θάλεια (Tháleia); from Ancient Greek θάλλω (thállō, “flourish, to be verdant”).

uder

(Greek mythology) The Muse of comedy and idyllic poetry.

(Greek mythology) One of the three Graces/Charites.


mysticism

en-noun

mysticism (countable and uncountable, plural mysticisms)

From mystic + -ism, from Old French mistique (“mysterious, full of mystery”), from Latin mysticus (“mystical, mystic, of secret rites”), from Ancient Greek μυστικός (mustikós, “secret, mystic”), from μύστης (mústēs, “one who has been initiated, initiate”) from μῡ́ω (mū́ō, “to close one's lips or eyes; initiate into the mysteries”). Compare Asturian misticismu, Catalan misticisme, French mysticisme, German Mystizismus, Italian misticismo, Portuguese misticismo, Sicilian misticisimu, Spanish misticismo.

der

In the history of Christian mysticism the problem how to discriminate between such messages and experiences as were really divine miracles, and such others as the demon in his malice was able to counterfeit, thus making the religious person twofold more the child of hell he was before, has always been a difficult one to solve, needing all the sagacity and experience of the best directors of conscience.

1902, William James, “Lecture I”, in The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature […] , New York, N.Y.; London: Longmans, Green, and Co. […], →OCLC:

A doctrine of direct communication or spiritual intuition of divine truth.

misticisme

doctrine of direct communication of divine truth

A transcendental union of soul or mind with the divine reality or divinity.

神秘主義

transcendental union of soul with the divinity


miscreant

en-adj

miscreant (comparative more miscreant, superlative most miscreant)

more miscreant (comparative)
most miscreant (superlative)

From Middle English myscreaunt, miscreaunt, from Old French mescreant (1080) "mis-believer", present participle of mescreire "to misbelieve" (modern mécroire).

(theology) Holding an incorrect religious belief.


miscreant

Now wil the Chriſtian miſcreants be glad,
Ringing with ioy their ſuperſtitious belles:
And making bonfires for my ouerthrow.
But ere I die thoſe foule Idolaters
Shall make me bonfires with their filthy bones, […]

c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire, London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act III, scene iii:

Arise thou cursed Miscreaunt,
That hast with knightlesse guile and trecherous train
Faire knighthood fowly shamed

1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto IV”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 41:

Before thine eyes, thou mild and blessed one, said he, half aloud, are these miscreants daring to hold their market, and trafficking in their hellish drugs

1825, Thomas De Quincey, “The Love-charm”, in Quarterly Magazine, Knight:

(theology) One who holds a false religious belief; a misbeliever.

فَاسِق

one who holds a false religious belief; an unbeliever


Exodus

From Latin Exodus, from Ancient Greek ἔξοδος (éxodos), from ἐξ (ex, “out of”) + ὁδός (hodós, “way”).

(biblical) The departure of the Hebrew slaves from Egypt under the leadership of Moses.

(biblical) The second of the Books of Moses in the Old Testament of the Bible, the second book in the Torah describing the Exodus.

ኦሪት ዘጸአት

ʾorit zäṣäʾät


discipline

en-noun

discipline (countable and uncountable, plural disciplines)

spontaneity

antonym(s) of “controlled behaviour et al.”

From Middle English [Term?], from Anglo-Norman, from Old French descipline, from Latin disciplina (“instruction”), from discipulus (“pupil”), influenced by disco (“to learn”), from Proto-Indo-European *dek- (“(cause to) accept”).

فَرْع مِنَ الْمَعْرِفَة

specific branch or knowledge or learning

All she had done was give Teena a cilice, a barbed metal chain she was to tie around her thigh for two hours every day, and a discipline, a rope whip with knotted ends she was to use on her back when she prayed the Hail Mary.

2024 March 16, Antonia Cundy, “The Opus Dei diaries”, in FT Weekend, page 18:

A punishment to train or maintain control.

(Catholicism) A whip used for self-flagellation.

piiska

Catholicism: whip used for self-flagellation


chapel

→ Japanese: チャペル (chaperu)

→ Korean: 채플 (chaepeul)

From Middle English chapele, chapel, from Old French chapele, from Late Latin cappella (“little cloak; chapel”), diminutive of cappa (“cloak, cape”). Doublet of capelle.
(printing office): Said to be because printing was first carried on in England in a chapel near Westminster Abbey.

(especially Christianity) A place of worship, smaller than or subordinate to a church.

One saint's day in mid-term a certain newly appointed suffragan-bishop came to the school chapel, and there preached on “The Inner Life.”

1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter III, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:

A place of worship in another building or within a civil institution such as a larger church, airport, prison, monastery, school, etc.; often primarily for private prayer.

A funeral home, or a room in one for holding funeral services.


chapel

The village butcher is chapel.

(Wales) Describing a person who attends a nonconformist chapel.


chapel

en-verb

chapel (third-person singular simple present chapels, present participle chapelling, simple past and past participle chapelled)

chapels (present singular third-person)
chapelling (participle present)
chapelled (participle past)
chapelled (past)

(nautical, transitive) To cause (a ship taken aback in a light breeze) to turn or make a circuit so as to recover, without bracing the yards, the same tack on which she had been sailing.


communicate

communicate (third-person singular simple present communicates, present participle communicating, simple past and past participle communicated)

communicates (present singular third-person)
communicating (participle present)
communicated (participle past)
communicated (past)

Borrowed from Latin commūnicātus, perfect passive participle of commūnicō (“share, impart; make common”), from commūnis (“common”). Doublet of commune.

It seems that now [the Devil] was driving Alison hard. She had been remiss of late—fewer souls sent to hell, less zeal in quenching the Spirit, and, above all, the crowning offense that her bairn had communicated in Christ's kirk.

1899 January – 1902 January, John Buchan, “The Watcher by the Threshold”, in The Watcher by the Threshold, and Other Tales, Edinburgh, London: William Blackwood and Sons, published 1902, →OCLC, page 213:

The ‘better sort’ might communicate on a separate day; and in some parishes even the quality of the communion wine varied with the social quality of the recipients.

1971, Keith Thomas, Religion and the Decline of Magic, Folio Society, published 2012, page 148:

(intransitive, Christianity) To receive the bread and wine at a celebration of the Eucharist; to take part in Holy Communion.

cumnic

to receive or take part in Holy Communion

[W]hen ſhe [the church] can underſtand that ſuch an emendation is made, and the man is really reformed, ſhe can pronounce him pardon'd, or vvhich is all one, ſhe may communicate him.

1660, Jeremy Taylor, “Of Repentance Preparatory to the Blessed Sacrament. Sect[ion] V. What Significations of Repentance are to be Accepted by the Church in Admission of Penitents to the Communion.”, in The Worthy Communicant or A Discourse of the Nature, Effects, and Blessings Consequent to the Worthy Receiving of the Lords Supper […], London: […] R. Norton for John Martyn, James Allestry, and Thomas Dicas […], published 1661, →OCLC, pages 475–476:

(transitive, Christianity) To administer the Holy Communion to (someone).


canonic

en-adj

canonic (comparative more canonic, superlative most canonic)

more canonic (comparative)
most canonic (superlative)