Pagan Once Meant Country Dweller
A pagan follows a religion other than the main world faiths. The Latin word meant a villager, and the shift reveals how Christianity spread.
A pagan is a follower of a polytheistic or nature-based religion. Latin *paganus* meant a country dweller, from *pagus*, a rural district, and the shift in meaning records a historical fact: Christianity spread through the cities of the Roman Empire first, so the old religions survived longest in the countryside. Pagan came to mean rustic and then non-Christian. *Heathen* took the same path from a word meaning someone living out on the heath.
- A follower of an older religion. *Pagan rituals.*
- Paganism — the belief system. *Modern paganism.*
- Heathen — the parallel word. *A heathen.*
- Pagus — a rural district. *A Roman pagus.*
- Peasant — from the same root. *A peasant.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | pagan | A pagan. |
| Plural | pagans | Pagans. |
| Adjective | pagan | Pagan festivals. |
| Noun | paganism | Paganism. |
| Latin | paganus | A villager. |
- The festival has pagan origins.History.
- Paganus meant a country dweller.Etymology.
- Heathen followed the same path.Parallel.
Words that moved from rural to religious
- Pagan — from *pagus*, a country district
- Heathen — from *heath*, uncultivated land
- Peasant — from the same *pagus*, kept the rural sense
- Villain — from *villa*, a farmstead, then a serf, then a criminal
- Each records the prestige gap between town and country
Latin *paganus*, a country dweller or civilian, from *pagus*, a rural district or village.
Why does pagan mean country dweller?
Christianity spread through Roman cities first, so older religions lingered in rural areas. The word for villager came to mean non-Christian.
Is villain related?
By a similar path. It comes from villa, a farmstead, and meant a serf before it meant a criminal.