religious sect | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

469 entries found.

mid-14c., in religious use, "a building up of the soul," from Old French edificacion "a building, construction; edification, good example," and directly from Latin aedificationem (nominative aedificatio) "construction, the process of building; a building, an edifice," in Late Latin "spiritual improvement," from past participle stem of aedificare "to build" (see edifice). Religious use is as translation of Greek oikodome in I Corinthians xiv. Meaning "mental improvement" is 1650s. Literal sense of "building" is rare in English, but Middle English bilding sometimes was used in religious writing to translate Latin aedificatio.

Docetism (n.)

"the heresy of the Docetae," who held that the body of Jesus was a phantom or of real but celestial substance, 1829, from Greek Doketai, name of the sect, literally "believers," from dokein "to seem, have the appearance of, think," from PIE *dok-eye-, suffixed (causative) form of root *dek- "to take, accept." Related: Docetic.

canter (n.2)

c. 1600, "professional beggar," agent noun from cant (v.1). From 1650s as "one who talks religious cant."

thuggery (n.)

1839, from thug + -ery. Also thugee, from the native Hindi name for the system of religious assassination practiced by the thugs.

ulema (n.)

"scholars of Muslim religious law," 1680s, from Arabic 'ulema "learned men, scholars," plural of 'alim "learned," from 'alama "to know."

juju (n.1)

object of religious veneration among West Africans, 1860, supposedly ultimately from French joujou "toy, plaything."

Muggletonian (n.)

1660s, member of the Protestant sect founded c. 1651 by English tailor Lodowicke Muggleton (1609-1698) and John Reeve. Members believed in the prophetic inspiration of the two founders as being the two witnesses mentioned in Revelation xi.3-6. Members were still living in the 1860s.

ashram (n.)

"religious hermitage," 1900, from Sanskrit asramah, from a-, adnomial prefix (from PIE adverbial particle ē), + sramah "effort, toll, fatigue."

stasis (n.)

"stoppage of circulation," 1745, from medical Latin, from Greek stasis "a standing still, a standing; the posture of standing; a position, a point of the compass; position, state, or condition of anything;" also "a party, a company, a sect," especially one for seditious purposes; related to statos "placed," verbal adjective of histēmi "cause to stand," from PIE root *sta- "to stand, make or be firm."

baptist (n.)

c. 1200, "one who baptizes," also (with capital B-) a title of John, the forerunner of Christ; see baptize + -ist. As "member of a Protestant sect that believes in adult baptism upon profession of faith," generally by full immersion (with capital B-), attested from 1654; their opponents called them anabaptists (see Anabaptist).

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