Cult Once Meant Ordinary Worship
A cult is a religious group, often small and regarded with suspicion. The Latin word simply meant tending.
A cult is a system of religious devotion, now usually one regarded with suspicion. Latin *cultus* meant tending or cultivation, from *colere*, to till the soil — the same verb that gives *culture*, *agriculture* and *colony*. Worship was thought of as cultivating a relationship with a god, the way you cultivate a field. The negative sense is modern; historians still use *cult* neutrally, as in the cult of Isis. A *cult film* has a small devoted following.
- A religious system. *The cult of Isis.*
- A small suspect group. *A dangerous cult.*
- A devoted following. *A cult film.*
- Culture — the same root. *Culture.*
- Latin — *colere*, to till. *The root.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | cult | A cult. |
| Plural | cults | Cults. |
| Adjective | cultic | Cultic. |
| Related | culture | Culture. |
| Latin | cultus | Tending. |
- The cult of Mithras spread widely.History.
- The film has a cult following.Devotion.
- Cultus meant tending.Etymology.
The colere family
- Culture — the cultivation of the mind
- Agriculture — the cultivation of fields
- Colony — a place settled and worked
- Cultivate — to till, and to develop
- Cult — the tending of a relationship with a god
Latin *cultus*, worship or cultivation, from *colere*, to till, tend or inhabit.
Did cult always have a negative meaning?
No. It meant any system of worship, and historians still use it neutrally. The suspicious sense is modern.
Are cult and culture related?
Yes. Both come from Latin colere, to till or tend. Culture is cultivation of the mind, cult of a relationship with a god.