heathen

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈhiːðən/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English hethen,^[2][3][4] inherited from Old English hǣþen (“not Christian or Jewish”),^{[2][5][6][3][4]} merged with Old Norse heiðinn,^[6][5] from Proto-Germanic *haiþanaz,^[6] which is of uncertain origin.^[6] It is related to German Heide and Gothic haiþno “gentile woman”.^[5][6][4] It may originally have meant “dweller on the heath”,^[6][3][4] but Barnhart and Etymonline note that this is unproven and that the word may first have spread from Gothic Bible translation.^[5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Not Christian or Jewish; pagan (about 725 in Barnhart,^[5] 826 in the OED).^[7]

Semantic evolution

In Old English the word was applied especially to the pagan Danes.^[6] It was later defined against Christianity, Judaism and Islam alike.^[7][2][4] From 1818 it was used of a person regarded as having no more religion, enlightenment or culture than a pagan.^[7][2]

Timeline

• about 725 – Old English hǣþen.^[5]
• before 1121 – Middle English hethen.^[5]
• 1630 – the individual plural heathens.^[7]
• 1818 – an uncultured or irreligious person.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A person whose religion is not Christianity, Judaism or Islam; a pagan.
2. (the heathen) Such people as a group.
3. A person regarded as irreligious, uncivilized or unenlightened.

Adjective

1. Of or relating to heathens; pagan.
2. Irreligious, uncultured or uncivilized.

Word family

• heathendom
• heathenism
• heathenish
• heathenize

Related words

• heath
• pagan

Usage notes

Random House explains that heathen and pagan both apply to people who are not Christian, Jewish or Muslim, but heathen is often used of idolaters thought primitive or barbaric, while pagan is most often used of the ancient Greeks and Romans.^[4]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b c d e f Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
5. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
6. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press