Heresies

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Beliefs or doctrines that diverge from accepted religious teachings are often termed as disputes within established faith systems
2. Variations in belief systems that challenge traditional teachings are commonly seen as contentious or unacceptable within religious communities
3. Ideas or doctrines that conflict with the official teachings of a religion

Etymology: The plural "heresies" is simply the plural of "heresy," so the story belongs to the singular. Its root is a Greek word meaning "choice": "haíresis" meant a school of thought or a system of principles, and it came from a verb meaning "to take for oneself," so a heresy was originally just a position a person had chosen. The sense of "wrong belief" grew only later, as Christian writers used the term for views that departed from orthodox teaching. The word reached English through Latin "haeresis" and then Old French "heresie," arriving in Middle English as "heresie." It displaced the native Old English word "dwild," which meant something close to error or deception, and so an older English term for religious error was lost.

Synonyms: blasphemies, heterodoxies, dissent, unorthodoxies, apostasy

Antonyms: orthodoxy, dogma, doctrine, belief, faith