heathen

See also: Heathen

English

Etymology

From Middle English hethen, from Old English hǣþen, from Proto-West Germanic *haiþin, from Proto-Germanic *haiþinaz (“heathen, pagan”, adj), equivalent to heath (“heathland”) +‎ -en. Cognate with West Frisian heiden, Dutch heiden, Middle High German heiden, German Heiden, German Heide, Swedish heden, Danish hedensk (from heden+sk), Icelandic heiðinn. See also Proto-Germanic *haiduz, Old Norse heiðr (honour, bright, moor), Icelandic heiður (honour).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhiːðən/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːðən

Adjective

heathen (comparative heathener or more heathen, superlative heathenest or most heathen)

1. Not adhering to an Abrahamic religion; pagan.
   • 2006, Jeff Hanneman, “Jihad”, Tom Araya (lyrics), performed by Slayer:

     War of holy principles
     I'm seeking God's help in your destruction
     Slit the throat of heathen man
     And let his blood dilute the water, bury your dead

2. (by extension) Uncultured; uncivilized; savage; barbarian.
3. Alternative letter-case form of Heathen (pertaining or adhering to the Germanic neo-pagan faith Heathenry).

Translations

not adhering to an Abrahamic religion

• Afrikaans: heidens, ongelowig
• Aghwan: 𐕆𐔴𐔸𐔰𐕎𐕒𐕚 (hetanos)
• Arabic: وَثَنِيّ (waṯaniyy)
• Armenian: հեթանոսական (hy) (hetʻanosakan)
• Aromanian: pãngãn
• Belarusian: язы́чніцкі (jazýčnicki)
• Bulgarian: ези́чески (ezíčeski)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 異教的 / 异教的 (zh) (yìjiào de)

• Czech: pohanský (cs)
• Danish: hedensk
• Dutch: heidens (nl), ongelovig (nl)
• Finnish: pakanallinen (fi)
• French: païen (fr)
• Georgian: წარმართული (c̣armartuli)
• German: heidnisch (de)
• Greek: αλλόθρησκος (el) (allóthriskos)
• Hungarian: pogány (hu)
• Icelandic: heiðinn
• Ingrian: pakana
• Irish: págánta, págánach
• Italian: pagano (it)
• Latin: gentilis
• Low German:

  German Low German: heidensch

• Macedonian: пагански (paganski)
• Middle English: hethen, paynym
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: hedensk

• Old East Slavic: ꙗзꙑческъ (jazyčeskŭ)
• Old English: hǣþen
• Ottoman Turkish: زندیق (zındık)
• Polish: pogański (pl), bałwański (pl)
• Portuguese: pagão (pt)
• Romanian: păgân (ro)
• Russian: язы́ческий (ru) (jazýčeskij)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: по̀гански, па̀га̄нски

  Roman: pòganski (sh), pàgānski (sh)

• Slovak: pohanský (sk)
• Spanish: pagano (es)
• Swedish: hednisk (sv)
• Turkish: putperest (tr), pagan (tr), müşrik (tr)
• Ukrainian: язи́чницький (uk) (jazýčnycʹkyj)
• Vietnamese: ngoại đạo (vi)
• Yiddish: היידניש (heydnish)

savage

• Afrikaans: barbaars
• Bulgarian: ва́рварски (bg) (várvarski), дива́шки (bg) (diváški)
• Danish: hedensk, barbarisk
• Dutch: barbaars (nl), heidens (nl), onbeschaafd (nl)
• Finnish: pakanallinen (fi)
• French: barbare (fr) m or f
• German: barbarisch (de), unzivilisiert (de)
• Hungarian: barbár (hu)
• Icelandic: heiðinn m
• Italian: pagano (it)
• Macedonian: варварски (varvarski), дивјачки (divjački)
• Russian: ди́кий (ru) (díkij)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ба̀рбарскӣ, ва̀рварскӣ, дѝвља̄чкӣ

  Roman: bàrbarskī (sh), vàrvarskī (sh), dìvljāčkī (sh)

• Spanish: bárbaro (es)

Heathen — see Heathen

Noun

heathen (plural heathens or heathen)

1. A pagan; someone who is neither Christian, Jewish, or Muslim (other Abrahamic or monotheistic religions may or may not be included)
   • V. Knox

     If it is no more than a moral discourse, he may preach it and they may hear it, and yet both continue unconverted heathens.

   • 1930, H. E. Bolton, Anza's California expeditions, volume 1, page 403:

     On hearing his cries two heathen who were hunting on the lagoon ran up, and they were bold enough to try to avenge the injury, making ready to shoot arrows at the soldiers, who fired two gunshots just to frighten them […]

2. (by extension) An uncultured or uncivilized person, philistine.
3. Alternative letter-case form of Heathen (an adherent of the Germanic neo-pagan faith of Heathenry).

Coordinate terms

religious adherentsedit

• agnostic
• Asatruar
• atheist
• Baháʼí
• Buddhist
• Christian
• deist
• Druid
• Druze
• Eckist
• heathen
• Hindu
• Jain
• Jedi
• Jew
• Mormon
• Mormonist
• Muslim
• Odinist
• pagan
• Pastafarian
• Quaker
• Raëlian
• Rastafarian
• Rodnover
• Samaritan
• Shintoist
• Sikh
• Taoist
• Unitarian Universalist
• Wiccan
• Yahwist
• Yazidi
• Zoroastrian

Derived terms

• heathendom
• heatheness
• heathenesse
• heathenhood
• heathenise
• heathenish
• heathenism
• heathenistic
• heathenization
• heathenize
• heathenly
• heathenness
• heathenry
• heathenship
• nonheathen
• unheathen

Translations

person who does not follow an Abrahamic religion

• Afrikaans: heiden (af), heidene pl, ongelowige, ongelowiges pl
• Arabic: وَثَنِيّ m (waṯaniyy), وَثَنِيَّة f (waṯaniyya), مُشْرِك m (mušrik)
• Armenian: հեթանոս (hy) (hetʻanos)
• Belarusian: язы́чнік m (jazýčnik), язы́чніца f (jazýčnica)
• Bulgarian: ези́чник (bg) m (ezíčnik), ези́чничка f (ezíčnička), ези́чница f (ezíčnica)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 異教徒 / 异教徒 (zh) (yìjiàotú)

• Czech: pohan (cs) m, pohanka (cs) f
• Danish: hedning c
• Dutch: heiden (nl) m or f, ongelovige (nl)
• Finnish: pakana (fi)
• French: païen (fr) m, païenne (fr) f
• Georgian: წარმართი (c̣armarti)
• German: Heide (de) m, Heidin (de) f
• Greek: ειδωλολάτρης (el) m (eidololátris)
• Hindi: बुतपरस्त (hi) m (butparast)
• Hungarian: pogány (hu)
• Icelandic: heiðingi (is) m
• Ingrian: pakana
• Irish: págánach m, págán m
• Italian: pagano (it) m, pagana (it) f
• Japanese: 異教徒 (ja) (いきょうと, ikyōto)
• Korean: 이교도(異敎徒) (igyodo)
• Macedonian: паганин m (paganin), паганка f (paganka)
• Manx: anchreestee m (non-Christian)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: hedning m

  Nynorsk: heidning m

• Old East Slavic: ꙗзꙑчьникъ m (jazyčĭnikŭ)
• Old English: hǣþen
• Ottoman Turkish: زندیق (zındık)
• Pashto: بت پرست (ps) m (bot parast)
• Persian:

  Dari: بُت‌پَرَسْت (fa) (but-parast)

  Iranian Persian: بُت‌پَرَسْت (fa) (bot-parast)

• Plautdietsch: Heid m
• Polish: poganin (pl) m, poganka (pl) f
• Portuguese: pagão (pt) m, pagã (pt) f
• Romanian: păgân (ro), păgână (ro) f
• Russian: язы́чник (ru) (jazýčnik), язы́чница (ru) f (jazýčnica)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: по̏га̄н f, по̀ганин m, по̀га̄нка f, па̀га̄н m

  Roman: pȍgān (sh) f, poganin (sh) m, pògānka (sh) f, pàgān (sh) m

• Slovak: pohan m, pohanka (sk) f
• Slovene: pogan (sl) m, poganka f
• Spanish: pagano (es) m, pagana (es) f
• Swedish: hedning (sv) c
• Ukrainian: язи́чник (uk) m (jazýčnyk), язи́чниця (uk) f (jazýčnycja)
• Urdu: بُت پَرَسْت m (but parast)

uncultured or uncivilized person

• Afrikaans: barbaar, barbare pl
• Bulgarian: неве́жа (bg) m or f (nevéža)
• Danish: barbar (da) c
• Dutch: barbaar (nl) m, filistijn f
• Finnish: pakana (fi)
• French: barbare (fr) m or f, sauvage (fr) m or f
• German: Barbar (de) m, Wilder (de) m, Unzivilisierter m
• Greek: ακαλλιέργητος (el) m (akalliérgitos)
• Hungarian: barbár (hu)
• Macedonian: варвар m (varvar), варварин m (varvarin), дивјак m (divjak)
• Portuguese: bárbaro (pt) m
• Russian: дика́рь (ru) m (dikárʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ба̀рбар m, ба̀рба̄рка f, варварин m, варварка f

  Roman: bàrbar (sh) m, bàrbārka (sh) f, varvarin (sh) m, varvarka f

• Swedish: barbar (sv) c, vilde (sv) c

Heathen — see Heathen

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: ^{(please verify)} infidèle (fr), ^{(please verify)} païen (fr) m
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} pagano (it) m
• Slovak: ^{(please verify)} pohan m
• Swedish: ^{(please verify)} hedning (sv) c

Further reading

• heathen on Wikipedia.Wikipedia