neo-pagan

Word family

• neo-paganism
  nounC2
• pagan
  nounC1
• pagan
  adjectiveC1
• paganism
  nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These four words describe people whose spiritual practice falls outside the world's major organised religions, but they differ in scope and tone. 'Pagan' is the broadest: it can refer to pre-Christian believers in history (ancient Romans, Celts, Norse) and to present-day practitioners. 'Neo-pagan' is narrower and modern; it picks out present-day people who consciously revive or rebuild older nature-centred traditions. 'Wiccan' is narrower still — only people who follow the modern Wicca path, an organised tradition that emerged in mid-twentieth-century Britain. 'Heathen' has shifted in meaning: an older everyday use was insulting (someone with no religion), but Norse-influenced practitioners now sometimes choose the label for themselves. In careful writing, prefer 'neo-pagan' for any modern follower, and reserve 'Wiccan' for those who specifically identify with that tradition.

Common collocations

Etymology

Formed in English in the late nineteenth century by combining the prefix 'neo-' (meaning 'new' or 'revived'), borrowed from Greek 'neos', with 'pagan', which entered Middle English from Old French and ultimately from Latin 'paganus' (originally 'country dweller', later 'someone outside the Christian church'). The compound was first used by writers describing artistic and spiritual revivals of pre-Christian themes, and from the mid-twentieth century onward it has been the common umbrella label for modern nature-centred and reconstructionist spiritual movements.