Religions

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ɹəˈlɪd͡ʒənz/

Definitions

1. Belief systems that involve devotion to spiritual entities and include collective rituals and moral codes
2. Organized systems of faith that involve worship, moral guidelines, and spiritual beliefs shared by a community
3. Set of spiritual or supernatural convictions and rituals that shape moral behavior and group identity

Etymology: The plural "religions" simply counts distinct systems of belief, and the word beneath it has a notable etymological debate. Latin "religiō" meant something closer to scrupulousness or conscientiousness: a careful, almost anxious attention to what was owed to the gods, sacred duties, and proper observance. Its exact origin is uncertain, but it is most likely connected to the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂leg-, the same root behind "legere", "to gather or read", which gives a sense of careful collecting or attending to something repeatedly, as in "dīligere", "to love or esteem". The word came into English through Old French "religion" and Middle English "religioun", where it displaced the Old English term "ǣfæstnes", meaning lawfulness or piety. The shift from a general sense of scrupulous observance to a named set of beliefs and practices happened gradually as the word came to describe organized faiths.

Synonyms: faiths, beliefs, creeds, doctrines, cults

Antonyms: atheism, agnosticism, secularism, disbelief, unbelief