pagan

See also: Pagan, págán, and păgân

English

Etymology

From Middle English pagan (adjective and noun), from Latin pāgānus (“rural, rustic", later "civilian”), replaced Middle English payen from the same root. The meaning "not (Judeo-)Christian" arose in Vulgar Latin, probably from the 4th century. It is unclear whether this usage is derived primarily from the "rustic" or from the "civilian" meaning, which in Roman army jargon meant 'clumsy'. As a self-designation of neopagans attested since 1990.

Partly displaced native heathen, from Old English hǣþen.

Pronunciation

• enPR: pā'gən, IPA^(key): /ˈpeɪɡən/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪɡən

Adjective

pagan (not comparable)

1. Relating to, characteristic of religions that differ from main world religions.

   Many converted societies transformed their pagan deities into saints.

2. (by extension, derogatory) Savage, immoral, uncivilized, wild.

Usage notes

• When referring to modern paganism, the term is now often capitalized, like other terms referring to religions.

Synonyms

• (adhering to a non-main world religion): heathen
• (uncivilized): barbarian, barbaric (pejorative)

Antonyms

• (religion):

Hyponyms

• pantheistic
• neo-pagan

Derived terms

• paganism
• neopagan
• paganly

Translations

relating to non main world religions

• Albanian: besëlashtë (sq) f
• Arabic: وَثَنِيّ‎ (waṯaniyy)
• Armenian: հեթանոսական (hy) (hetʿanosakan)
• Bashkir: мәжүси (mäjüsi)
• Belarusian: язы́чніцкі (jazýčnicki)
• Bulgarian: ези́чески (ezíčeski)
• Catalan: pagà (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 異教的／异教的 (zh) (yìjiào de)

• Czech: pohanský (cs)
• Danish: hedensk
• Dutch: heidens (nl)
• Finnish: pakanallinen (fi), pakana- (fi)
• French: païen (fr)
• Friulian: paian m
• Galician: pagán m
• Georgian: წარმართული (c̣armartuli)
• German: heidnisch (de)
• Greek: ειδωλολατρικός (el) (eidololatrikós)
• Hebrew: פָּגָנִי‎ (paganí), אֱלִילִי‎ ('elilí)
• Hungarian: pogány (hu)
• Irish: págánta, págánach
• Middle English: payen
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: hedensk

• Old East Slavic: ꙗзꙑческъ (jazyčeskŭ)
• Old English: hǣþen
• Polish: pogański (pl)
• Portuguese: pagão (pt) m
• Romanian: păgân (ro)
• Russian: язы́ческий (ru) (jazýčeskij)
• Scottish Gaelic: pàganach
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: по̀гански, па̀га̄нски

  Roman: pòganski (sh), pàgānski (sh)

• Slovak: pohanský (sk)
• Slovene: poganski (sl)
• Spanish: pagano (es)
• Swahili: kafiri (sw)
• Swedish: hednisk (sv)
• Tagalog: pagano, di-binyagan
• Turkish: pagan (tr), (loanword), kâfir (tr) (derogatory)
• Ukrainian: язи́чницький (uk) (jazýčnycʹkyj)
• Vietnamese: ngoại đạo (vi)
• Welsh: paganaidd (cy)

immoral, uncivilized, savage

• Arabic: وَثَنِيّ‎ (waṯaniyy), جَاهِل‎ (jāhil), وَحْشِيّ‎ (waḥšiyy)
• Bulgarian: дива́шки (bg) (diváški)
• Dutch: immoreel (nl), onbeschaafd (nl)
• Finnish: pakanallinen (fi), pakana- (fi)
• French: immoral (fr), incivilisé (fr)
• Hungarian: istentelen (hu)
• Romanian: păgân (ro)
• Swahili: kafiri (sw)

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

• Swedish: ^{(please verify)} hednisk (sv)

Noun

pagan (plural pagans)

1. A person not adhering to a main world religion; a follower of a pantheistic or nature-worshipping religion.

   This community has a surprising number of pagans.

2. (by extension, derogatory) An uncivilized or unsocialized person.
3. (by extension, derogatory) An unruly, badly educated child.

Synonyms

• (heathen): paynim
• (uncivilised): philistine, savage
• (child): brat

Derived terms

• neo-pagan

Related terms

• peasant
• paynim

Translations

person not adhering to a main world religion

• Albanian: besëlashtë (sq) m
• Arabic: وَثَنِيّ‎ m (waṯaniyy), وَثَنِيَّة‎ f (waṯaniyya), مُشْرِك‎ m (mušrik)
• Armenian: հեթանոս (hy) (hetʿanos)
• Asturian: paganu m
• Azerbaijani: bütpərəst
• Bashkir: мәжүси (mäjüsi)
• Belarusian: язы́чнік m (jazýčnik), язы́чніца f (jazýčnica)
• Bulgarian: ези́чник (bg) m (ezíčnik), ези́чничка f (ezíčnička), ези́чница f (ezíčnica)
• Catalan: pagà (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 異教徒／异教徒 (zh) (yìjiàotú)

• Czech: pohan (cs) m, pohanka (cs) f
• Danish: hedning c
• Dutch: heiden (nl) m, heidin (nl) f
• Estonian: pagan (et)
• Finnish: pakana (fi)
• French: païen (fr) m, païenne (fr) f
• Friulian: paian m
• Georgian: წარმართი (c̣armarti)
• German: Heide (de) m, Heidin (de) f, Ungläubiger (de) m, Ungläubige (de) f
• Greek: ειδωλολάτρης (el) m (eidololátris), ειδωλολάτρισσα (el) f (eidololátrissa)
• Hebrew: עוֹבֵד אֱלִילִים‎ (he) m ('ovéd 'elilím)
• Hindi: बुतपरस्त (hi) m (butparast)
• Hungarian: pogány (hu)
• Icelandic: heiðingi (is) m
• Irish: págánach m, págán m
• Italian: pagano (it) m, pagana (it) f
• Japanese: 異教徒 (いきょうと, ikyōto)
• Kazakh: пұтқа табынушы (pūtqa tabynuşy), пұтпарас (pūtparas)
• Korean: 이교도(異敎徒) (igyodo)
• Kyrgyz: бутпарас (ky) (butparas), бутка табынуучу (butka tabınuuçu)
• Latvian: pagāns m
• Lithuanian: pagonis m
• Macedonian: паганин m (paganin), паганка f (paganka)
• Middle English: payen
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: hedning m

  Nynorsk: heidning m

• Occitan: pagan (oc) m
• Old East Slavic: ꙗзꙑчьникъ m (jazyčĭnikŭ)
• Old English: hǣþen
• Persian: بت‌پرست‎ (fa) (bot-parast)
• Polish: poganin (pl) m, poganka (pl) f
• Portuguese: pagão (pt) m, pagã (pt) f
• Romanian: păgân (ro) m, păgână (ro) f
• Russian: язы́чник (ru) m (jazýčnik), язы́чница (ru) f (jazýčnica)
• Scottish Gaelic: pàganach m
• Serbo-Croatian:

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

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

• Sicilian: paganu (scn) m
• Slovak: pohan m, pohanka (sk) f
• Slovene: pogan (sl) m, poganka f
• Spanish: pagano (es) m, pagana (es) f
• Swahili: kafiri (sw) (chiefly used by Muslims), mpagani (sw) (chiefly used by Christians)
• Swedish: hedning (sv) c
• Tajik: бутпараст (tg) (butparast)
• Tatar: мәҗүси (mäcüsi)
• Turkish: putperest (tr)
• Turkmen: butparaz (tk)
• Ukrainian: язи́чник (uk) m (jazýčnyk), язи́чниця (uk) f (jazýčnycja)
• Urdu: بُت پَرَست‎ m (but-parast)
• Uyghur: بۇتپەرەس‎ (butperes)
• Uzbek: butparast (uz), majusiy (uz)
• Welsh: pagan m, paganes f

uncivilized or unsocialized person

• Bulgarian: дива́к (bg) m (divák), дива́чка f (diváčka)
• Dutch: heiden (nl) m, barbaar (nl) m, wilde(man) m
• Finnish: pakana (fi) (dated), sivistymätön ihminen
• Hungarian: istentelen (hu)
• Russian: дика́рь (ru) m (dikárʹ), дика́рка (ru) f (dikárka)
• Swahili: kafiri (sw)

unruly, badly educated child

• Finnish: kakara (fi), kauhukakara (fi)

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)} païen (fr) m, ^{(please verify)} païenne (fr) f
• Swedish: ^{(please verify)} hedning (sv) c

See also

• heretic
• infidel

Anagrams

• panga

Asturian

Verb

pagan

1. third-person plural present subjunctive of pagar

Cebuano

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: pa‧gan

Verb

pagan

1. to embroil; to draw into a situation; to cause to be involved
2. to implicate; to connect or involve in an unfavorable or criminal way with something
3. to fall victim to a friendly fire
4. (military) to fall victim as collateral damage
5. to be hit by a stray bullet
6. to get caught in a crossfire
7. (games, of marbles) to hit the adjacent marble with the target marble

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:pagan.

Estonian

Etymology

Ultimately from Latin paganus, through either Old East Slavic поганъ (poganŭ) or directly from Latin, through the German crusaders. Cognate to Finnish pakana.

Noun

pagan (genitive pagana, partitive paganat)

1. pagan, heathen
2. a devil, an evil spirit

Declension

Inflection of pagan (ÕS type 2/õpik, no gradation)

	singular	plural
nominative	pagan	paganad
accusative	pagana	paganad
genitive	pagana	paganate
partitive	paganat	paganaid
illative	paganasse	paganatesse paganaisse
inessive	paganas	paganates paganais
elative	paganast	paganatest paganaist
allative	paganale	paganatele paganaile
adessive	paganal	paganatel paganail
ablative	paganalt	paganatelt paganailt
translative	paganaks	paganateks paganaiks
terminative	paganani	paganateni
essive	paganana	paganatena
abessive	paganata	paganateta
comitative	paganaga	paganatega

Derived terms

• vanapagan

Interjection

pagan

1. damn, darn, heck

Galician

Verb

pagan

1. third-person plural present indicative of pagar

Livvi

Etymology

From Old Church Slavonic поганъ (poganŭ). Related to Finnish pakana (“pagan”) and Ingrian pakana.

Noun

pagan (genitive paganan, partitive [please provide])

1. pagan, heathen
2. sage, seer

Adjective

pagan (genitive paganan, partitive [please provide])

1. dirty, unclean

References

• Pertti Virtaranta; Raija Koponen (2009), “pakana”, in Marja Torikka, editor, Karjalan kielen sanakirja, Helsinki: Kotus, →ISSN

Old High German

Verb

pāgan

1. (Bavaria) Alternative form of bāgan

Spanish

Verb

pagan

1. third-person plural present indicative of pagar

Volapük

Etymology

From pag (“paganism”) +‎ -an.

Noun

pagan (nominative plural pagans)

1. (Volapük Nulik) pagan, gentile

Declension

declension of pagan

	singular	plural
nominative	pagan	pagans
genitive	pagana	paganas
dative	pagane	paganes
accusative	pagani	paganis
vocative 1	o pagan!	o pagans!
predicative 2	paganu	paganus

• ¹ status as a case is disputed
• ² in later, non-classical Volapük only