pagan

Origin: From , from , replaced from the same root. The meaning “not Christian” arose in , probably from the 4th century, owing to the Roman countryside being largely non-Christian, or potentially from the “civilian” meaning—denoting those not in the “army of Christ”. As a self-designation of neopagans, attested since 1990. Partly displaced native heathen, from . Note the opposition: pagan, peasant (related via pāgus), rustic, savage (<< ), villain (<< ), boorish vs. urbane, civil, courteous (akin to court). Also note vs. ἀστεῖος. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).