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Glite Dictionary
gentilism

gentilism

9.9
An old word for the religious beliefs of people who are not Jewish
  • noun
  • Archaic
translation icon : gentilismo
  • The historian compared the rise of Christianity to the decline of gentilism in the Roman Empire.

Examples

  • In ancient times, gentilism was widespread among many European tribes.

  • The ancient Romans practiced gentilism before converting to Christianity.

  • Old texts often refer to non-Jewish religious practices as gentilism.

  • Many scholars study gentilism to understand early religious practices.

  • Many ancient cultures practiced gentilism before converting to monotheistic religions.

  • The study of gentilism reveals how various societies worshipped their own gods.

  • In historical texts, gentilism is often described as the belief system of non-Jewish populations.

Synonyms

paganism
vsgentilism
7 7.9

Religious beliefs and practices that are not part of major world religions, often old or local traditions

is an old word used historically for this set of nonmonotheistic beliefs
pagan religion
vsgentilism
1 7.2

A set of beliefs and actions that worship many gods or nature

is the older term for nonmonotheistic beliefs without stressing polytheism
heathendom
vsgentilism
  • Archaic
9.9

Lands and people who do not follow Christianity

refers to non-Jewish beliefs rather than specifically to non-Christian peoples

Surface Forms

gentilism singular
gentilisms plural

Morphology

gentilism = gentile (semi-transparent) = gentil + ism

Derived from the base 'gentile' with the productive suffix '-ism', but the term is archaic and specifically equates to 'paganism', so learners may not reliably infer the precise historical meaning.

Etymology

Gentilism comes from the Latin root gens meaning 'clan' or 'people' and is related to the English word gentile, which once meant 'a non-Jewish person'. So gentilism was used for the religious beliefs of those non-Jewish peoples, in other words 'paganism'.