"Pagan" is a word that emerged in the late 14th century. It can be both a noun and an adjective, and its meaning has shifted throughout the centuries. In modern parlance, the term "pagan" can be both a noun describing a person who adheres to paganism, or an adjective meaning of or related to paganism.
"Pagan" comes from the Latin "paganus," which is a noun meaning "villager" or an adjective meaning "of the village." However, it is most often used in religious terms to refer to polytheistic, pre-Christian peoples. In Roman times, pagan was a term used to distinguish Christians from those who held onto their pre-Christian, polytheistic and earth-based religions. Nowadays, paganism can include the worship of the Goddess, the female deity replacing or complementing the Christian God; the belief in the mystical quality of nature; or the recognition of a plurality of gods.
- Matt Cardy/Getty Images News/Getty Images