pagan

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• pā'gən
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• /ˈpeɪɡən/
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• US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• rhymes with -eɪɡən
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• /pəˈɡɑːn/
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• rhymes with -ɑːn
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• CMU ARPABET: P EY1 G AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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From Middle English pagan (adjective and noun), from Latin pāgānus (“rural, rustic; civilian”), replaced Middle English payen from the same root. The meaning “not Christian” arose in Vulgar Latin, probably from the 4th century, owing to the Roman countryside being largely non-Christian, or potentially from the “civilian” meaning—denoting those not in the “army of Christ”. As a self-designation of neopagans, attested since 1990. Partly displaced native heathen, from Old English hǣþen. Note the opposition: pagan, peasant (related via pāgus), rustic, savage (<< Latin silvāticus), villain (<< Latin vīllānus), boorish vs. urbane, civil, courteous (akin to court). Also note Ancient Greek ἄγροικος (ágroikos) vs. ἀστεῖος (asteîos).

Borrowed from Latin pāgānus (“rustic, rural”).

Borrowing from Burmese ပုဂံ (pu.gam). Doublet of Bagan.

182 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Albanian: besëlashtë — relating to non-main world religions
• Arabic: وَثَنِيّ (waṯaniyy) — relating to non-main world religions
• Armenian: հեթանոսական (hetʻanosakan) — relating to non-main world religions
• Bashkir: мәжүси (məjüsi) — relating to non-main world religions
• Belarusian: язы́чніцкі (jazýčnicki) — relating to non-main world religions
• Bulgarian: ези́чески (ezíčeski) — relating to non-main world religions
• Catalan: pagà — relating to non-main world religions
• Chinese Mandarin: 異教的 /异教的 (yìjiào de) — relating to non-main world religions
• Czech: pohanský — relating to non-main world religions
• Danish: hedensk — relating to non-main world religions
• Dutch: heidens — relating to non-main world religions
• Finnish: pakanallinen — relating to non-main world religions
• Finnish: pakana- — relating to non-main world religions
• French: païen — relating to non-main world religions
• Friulian: paian — relating to non-main world religions
• Galician: pagán — relating to non-main world religions
• Georgian: წარმართული (c̣armartuli) — relating to non-main world religions
• German: heidnisch — relating to non-main world religions
• Greek: ειδωλολατρικός (eidololatrikós) — relating to non-main world religions
• Hebrew: פָּגָנִי (paganí) — relating to non-main world religions
• Hebrew: אֱלִילִי ('elilí) — relating to non-main world religions
• Hungarian: pogány — relating to non-main world religions
• Irish: págánta — relating to non-main world religions
• Irish: págánach — relating to non-main world religions
• Italian: pagano — relating to non-main world religions
• Kyrgyz: бутпарастык (butparastık) — relating to non-main world religions
• Kyrgyz: бутчулук (butculuk) — relating to non-main world religions
• Kyrgyz: бутпарасчылык (butparascılık) — relating to non-main world religions
• Middle English: payen — relating to non-main world religions
• Norwegian Bokmål: hedensk — relating to non-main world religions
• Old East Slavic: ꙗзꙑческъ (jazyčeskŭ) — relating to non-main world religions
• Old English: hǣþen — relating to non-main world religions
• Persian: بت پرست (bât pârest) — relating to non-main world religions
• Polish: pogański — relating to non-main world religions
• Portuguese: pagão — relating to non-main world religions
• Romanian: păgân — relating to non-main world religions
• Russian: язы́ческий (jazýčeskij) — relating to non-main world religions
• Scottish Gaelic: pàganach — relating to non-main world religions
• Serbo-Croatian: по̀гански — relating to non-main world religions
• Serbo-Croatian: па̀га̄нски — relating to non-main world religions
• Serbo-Croatian: pòganski — relating to non-main world religions
• Serbo-Croatian: pàgānski — relating to non-main world religions
• Slovak: pohanský — relating to non-main world religions
• Slovene: poganski — relating to non-main world religions
• Spanish: pagano — relating to non-main world religions
• Swahili: kafiri — relating to non-main world religions
• Swedish: hednisk — relating to non-main world religions
• Tagalog: pagano — relating to non-main world religions
• Tagalog: di-binyagan — relating to non-main world religions
• Turkish: pagan — relating to non-main world religions
• Turkish: kâfir — relating to non-main world religions
• Ottoman Turkish: زندیق (zındık) — relating to non-main world religions
• Ukrainian: язи́чницький (jazýčnycʹkyj) — relating to non-main world religions
• Vietnamese: ngoại đạo — relating to non-main world religions
• Welsh: paganaidd — relating to non-main world religions
• Arabic: وَثَنِيّ (waṯaniyy) — immoral, uncivilized, savage
• Arabic: جَاهِل (jāhil) — immoral, uncivilized, savage
• Arabic: وَحْشِيّ (waḥšiyy) — immoral, uncivilized, savage
• Bulgarian: дива́шки (diváški) — immoral, uncivilized, savage
• Chinese Mandarin: 野蛮的 — immoral, uncivilized, savage
• Dutch: immoreel — immoral, uncivilized, savage
• Dutch: onbeschaafd — immoral, uncivilized, savage
• Finnish: pakanallinen — immoral, uncivilized, savage
• Finnish: pakana- — immoral, uncivilized, savage
• French: immoral — immoral, uncivilized, savage
• French: incivilisé — immoral, uncivilized, savage
• Hungarian: istentelen — immoral, uncivilized, savage
• Romanian: păgân — immoral, uncivilized, savage
• Swahili: kafiri — immoral, uncivilized, savage
• Albanian: besëlashtë — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Arabic: وَثَنِيّ (waṯaniyy) — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Arabic: وَثَنِيَّة (waṯaniyya) — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Arabic: مُشْرِك (mušrik) — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Armenian: հեթանոս (hetʻanos) — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Asturian: paganu — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Azerbaijani: bütpərəst — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Bashkir: мәжүси (məjüsi) — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Belarusian: язы́чнік (jazýčnik) — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Belarusian: язы́чніца (jazýčnica) — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Bulgarian: ези́чник (ezíčnik) — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Bulgarian: ези́чничка (ezíčnička) — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Bulgarian: ези́чница (ezíčnica) — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Catalan: pagà — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Chinese Mandarin: 異教徒 /异教徒 (yìjiàotú) — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Czech: pohan — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Czech: pohanka — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Danish: hedning — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Dutch: heiden — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Dutch: heidin — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Estonian: pagan — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Finnish: pakana — person not adhering to a main world religion
• French: païen — person not adhering to a main world religion
• French: païenne — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Friulian: paian — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Georgian: წარმართი (c̣armarti) — person not adhering to a main world religion
• German: Heide — person not adhering to a main world religion
• German: Heidin — person not adhering to a main world religion
• German: Ungläubiger — person not adhering to a main world religion
• German: Ungläubige — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Greek: ειδωλολάτρης (eidololátris) — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Greek: ειδωλολάτρισσα (eidololátrissa) — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Hebrew: עוֹבֵד אֱלִילִים ('ovéd 'elilím) — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Hindi: बुतपरस्त (butparast) — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Hungarian: pogány — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Icelandic: heiðingi — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Irish: págánach — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Irish: págán — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Italian: pagano — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Italian: pagana — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Japanese: 異教徒 (ikyōto) — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Kazakh: пұтқа табынушы (pūtqa tabynuşy) — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Kazakh: пұтпарас (pūtparas) — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Korean: 이교도 (igyodo) — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Northern Kurdish: pûtperest — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Northern Kurdish: pûtparez — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Kyrgyz: бутпарас (butparas) — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Kyrgyz: бутка табынуучу (butka tabınuucu) — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Latvian: pagāns — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Lithuanian: pagonis — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Macedonian: паганин (paganin) — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Macedonian: паганка (paganka) — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Middle English: payen — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Norwegian Bokmål: hedning — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Norwegian Nynorsk: heidning — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Occitan: pagan — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Old East Slavic: ꙗзꙑчьникъ (jazyčĭnikŭ) — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Old English: hǣþen — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Pashto: بت پرست (bot parast) — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Dari: بُتپَرَسْت (but-parast) — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Iranian Persian: بُتپَرَسْت (bot-parast) — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Polish: poganin — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Polish: poganka — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Portuguese: pagão — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Portuguese: pagã — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Romanian: păgân — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Romanian: păgână — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Russian: язы́чник (jazýčnik) — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Russian: язы́чница (jazýčnica) — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Scottish Gaelic: pàganach — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Serbo-Croatian: по̀ганин — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Serbo-Croatian: по̀га̄нка — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Serbo-Croatian: па̀га̄н — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Serbo-Croatian: poganin — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Serbo-Croatian: pògānka — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Serbo-Croatian: pàgān — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Sicilian: paganu — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Slovak: pohan — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Slovak: pohanka — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Slovene: pogan — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Slovene: poganka — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Spanish: pagano — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Spanish: pagana — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Swahili: kafiri — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Swahili: mpagani — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Swedish: hedning — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Tajik: бутпараст (butparast) — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Tatar: мәҗүси (mäcüsi) — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Turkish: putperest — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Ottoman Turkish: زندیق (zındık) — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Turkmen: butparaz — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Ukrainian: язи́чник (jazýčnyk) — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Ukrainian: язи́чниця (jazýčnycja) — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Urdu: بُت پَرَسْت (but parast) — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Uyghur: بۇتپەرەس (butperes) — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Uzbek: butparast — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Uzbek: majusiy — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Welsh: pagan — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Welsh: paganes — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Zhuang: bouxukmbieng — person not adhering to a main world religion
• Bulgarian: дива́к (divák) — uncivilized or unsocialized person
• Bulgarian: дива́чка (diváčka) — uncivilized or unsocialized person
• Dutch: heiden — uncivilized or unsocialized person
• Dutch: barbaar — uncivilized or unsocialized person
• Dutch: wilde(man) — uncivilized or unsocialized person
• Finnish: pakana — uncivilized or unsocialized person
• Finnish: sivistymätön ihminen — uncivilized or unsocialized person
• Hungarian: istentelen — uncivilized or unsocialized person
• Russian: дика́рь (dikárʹ) — uncivilized or unsocialized person
• Russian: дика́рка (dikárka) — uncivilized or unsocialized person
• Swahili: kafiri — uncivilized or unsocialized person
• Finnish: kakara — unruly, badly educated child
• Finnish: kauhukakara — unruly, badly educated child