c. 1300, "one who disdains or ridicules, a mocker," formerly especially "a scoffer at religion, one who mocks or derides church rules and leaders," agent noun from scorn (v.).
also in Latin form Belus, heaven-and-earth god of Babylonian religion, from Akkadian Belu, literally "lord, owner, master," cognate with Hebrew ba'al (see Baal).
"member or adherent of a sect," 1550s, from French sectaire or directly from Medieval Latin sectarius, from secta "religious group, sect in philosophy or religion" (see sect).
1580s, muphtie "official head of the state religion in Turkey," from Arabic mufti "judge," active participle (with formative prefix mu-) of afta "to give," conjugated form of fata "he gave a (legal) decision" (compare fatwa).
c. 1200, ypocrite, "false pretender to virtue or religion," from Old French ypocrite (12c., Modern French hypocrite), from Church Latin hypocrita "a hypocrite," from Greek hypokritēs "stage actor; pretender, dissembler," from hypokrinesthai (see hypocrisy).
"one who liberates from bondage or restraint," 1782, agent noun in Latin form from emancipate. Emancipationist "one who favors emancipation" in any sense is from 1810 (originally in reference to religion in Ireland).