Religion

Pronunciation

• IPA: /rɪˈlɪdÊ’É™n/

Origin

From religiōn-, the stem of the Latin religiō ("scrupulousness”, “pious misgivings”, “superstition”, “conscientiousness”, “sanctity”, “an object of veneration”, “cult-observance”, “reverence"), from relegō ("I bind back or behind"), from re- + legō ("I choose, select; collect, gather"). re- , "the repeating", "retelling", "reconstruct", "retrospect", legion- "legend" i.e story, record, tradition, behaviors in history."

Full definition of religion

Noun

1. The belief in and worship of a supernatural controlling power, especially a personal god or gods.My brother tends to value religion, but my sister not as much.
2. A particular system of faith and worship.Islam is a major religion in parts of Asia and Africa.Eckankar is a new religion but Zoroastrianism is an old religion.
3. The way of life committed to by monks and nuns.The monk entered religion when he was 20 years of age.
4. Any practice that someone or some group is seriously devoted to.At this point, Star Trek has really become a religion.
5. (obsolete) Faithfulness to a given principle; conscientiousness. 16th-17th c.
• 1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Essays, II.8:Oh with what religion doe I respect and observe the same!

Usage notes

Generally speaking, certain groups that do not acknowledge the existence of one or more deities, such as Buddhism, are still religious—though some people prefer a definition of religion without non-theistic groups within the definition. Others are in favor of a more inclusive definition of religion that recognizes that everyone has their own set of religious beliefs.

Synonyms

• faith
• mythology

Hyponyms

Hypernyms

• belief system

Derived terms

Related terms