Word journey
The word pagan
a follower of a non-Christian, often polytheist, religion
The journey
| Form | Language | Date | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| *peh₂ǵ- | Proto-Indo-European (reconstructed) · Proto-Indo-European Religion | undated | to fasten, fix; reconstructed root |
| pāgānus | Latin · Ancient Roman Religion | 100 CE | villager, rustic; in army slang, civilian (from pagus, district) |
| pāgānus | Late Latin · Christianity | 390 CE | non-Christian, polytheist (Augustine) |
| pagan | Middle English · Christianity | 1350 CE | heathen, unbeliever |
| Pagan | English · Neopaganism | 1990 CE | self-designation of modern Neopagans |
What is certain and what is not
Why Latin "villager, civilian" came to mean "non-Christian" is debated: the countryside converting last, or civilians outside "the army of Christ". The sense arose only in the Latin West.