Ophiolatry

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The worship of snakes as deities or divine representations characterizes a specific religious practice
2. A particular form of reverence is shown towards snakes, often regarded as sacred or holy within certain traditions
3. This term denotes the veneration of snakes, which may symbolize various spiritual or mythical aspects in a cultural context

Etymology: Ophiolatry combines two Ancient Greek elements: "ophis", meaning snake, and "latreia", meaning worship or service. The second element is the same one found in "idolatry", where it describes devotion to images, and the pairing is a plain compound with no hidden meaning beyond its parts. The Greek roots show up in many scientific and descriptive English words, and "ophio-" appears in several of them, such as "ophiology", the study of snakes. Ophiolatry therefore follows the pattern of coining a new word from classical building blocks to name a specific practice. It describes a religious reverence for snakes, which appears in various traditions around the world, and the word names that practice directly.