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Glite Dictionary
arborolatry

arborolatry

9.9
The worship of trees as holy things
  • noun
  • /ˌɑːrbəˈrɑːlətri/
  • Specialized
translation icon : arborolatría
  • Some ancient cultures practiced arborolatry, believing trees possessed spiritual power.

Examples

  • The sacred oak grove was a center of arborolatry for the community.

  • The study describes rituals of arborolatry in pre-modern societies.

  • Many indigenous cultures practice arborolatry.

  • The ancient Greeks showed forms of arborolatry.

  • In some ancient cultures, the worship of trees as sacred beings was known as arborolatry.

  • The rituals associated with arborolatry highlight the importance of trees in certain spiritual practices.

  • Many indigenous peoples continue to engage in arborolatry, honoring trees within their belief systems.

Synonyms

tree-worship
vsarborolatry
9.9

A practice of showing religious respect to trees

is the specialized term for the same practice

Surface Forms

arborolatry singular
arborolatries plural

Morphology

arborolatry = arbor (semi-transparent) = arbor + latry

The composition literally means 'tree' + 'worship' (arbor + -latry), but both the combining form 'arbor-' and the suffix '-latry' are low-frequency learned forms, so the meaning may not be immediately clear to an average B1 learner.

Etymology

Arborolatry comes from arbor meaning 'tree' and -latry meaning 'worship', the same ending you see in idolatry, so it literally means 'worship of trees'.