astrolatry
- noun
- /ˈæstrəˌlætri/
- Many ancient cultures practiced astrolatry to honor celestial bodies.
Examples
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Scholars of religion often study astrolatry to understand the origins of early celestial worship.
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The rise of monotheistic faiths led to the decline of astrolatry in many societies.
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Ancient civilizations such as the Babylonians practiced astrolatry and associated gods with planets and stars.
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The astrolatry of the Babylonians was deeply intertwined with their religion.
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Ancient civilizations such as the Babylonians practiced astrolatry and associated gods with planets and stars.
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Scholars of religion often study astrolatry to understand the origins of early celestial worship.
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The rise of monotheistic faiths led to the decline of astrolatry in many societies.
Synonyms
To pray to planets or stars as gods
How Worshipful
Surface Forms
Morphology
astrolatry = astro + latry
The meaning is structurally clear as 'star' + 'worship', but both elements are learned classical combining forms rather than fully productive everyday English morphemes.
Etymology
Astrolatry comes from the Greek parts astron 'star' and latreia 'worship'. You see the same astron in astronomy and astronaut, so astrolatry is like 'star-worship' and refers to the worship of planets or stars.