heathen
noun/ˈhiːðn/
/ˈhiːðn/
- (old-fashioned, usually disapproving, offensive) an offensive word for somebody who has no religion or who does not follow one of one of the world’s main religions
- He set out to convert the heathen (= people who are heathens).
- (informal, disapproving) somebody who you think lacks education or moral principles
Word OriginOld English hǣthen, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch heiden and German Heide; generally regarded as a specifically Christian use of a Germanic adjective meaning ‘inhabiting open country’, from the base of heath.
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