pagandom
pagandom — noun
1. the world, culture, or collective body of people who follow polytheistic or non-
the world, culture, or collective body of people who follow polytheistic or non-monotheistic religions, especially as seen from the perspective of the Christian, Jewish, or Islamic traditions that historically contrasted themselves with it.
Medieval missionaries travelled far into the pagandom of northern Europe to establish churches.
uncountable collective noun for a region/culture
The old kingdom's conversion from pagandom to Christianity took several generations.
contrastive use: from pagandom to Christendom
Early Christian writers described pagandom as a place of spiritual darkness that needed the light of the gospel.
- heathendom
stronger negative connotation, now considered offensive by many
- pagan world
neutral modern alternative; not a single word but the usual current expression
- gentiledom
even rarer; used in some theological contexts
- Christendom
the collective world of Christian peoples and nations
文法句型
pagandom [as uncountable collective]
用法筆記
This word is now rare and sounds dated or literary. It was used most often by 19th-century Christian writers to describe non-Christian societies as a single realm. Modern alternatives like 'the pagan world' or 'pagan societies' are more neutral and common.