cult

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“
Loyalty to Jehovah, as the God of the nation, and fidelity to the demands of the cult is their watchword.

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Definitions (17)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (8)

  1. noun A religion or religious sect generally considered to be extremist or false, with its followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader.
  2. noun The followers of such a religion or sect.
  3. noun A system or community of religious worship and ritual.
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Examples (50)

  • The group created by the cult is always bigger than the individual, and membership confers on him a false sense of personal identity. —  A Renegade Psychiatrist's Story
  • Men say our cult is a survival of the ancient Stygian serpent-worship. —  Conan -- The Stories from Weird Tales (1932-1936)
  • Recently, he's become better known as a cult-action icon in dated flicks like —  Paste Magazine
  • The Obama cult is at it again, trying to silence criticism of the "Brown Messiah." —  Altermedia news U.S.A.
  • The cult is supposed to have originated in East Bengal or Assam about the fifth century Dr. Bhattacharya states [378] that the practical essence of the Sakta cult is the worship of the female organ of generation. —  The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India—Volume I (of IV)
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Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Latin cultus, worship, from past participle of colere, to cultivate; see kwel-1 in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. from French culte = Spanish Portuguese Italian culto, from Latin cultus, cultivation, worship, from colere, past participle cultus, till, cultivate, worship. Cf. cultivate, culture, ete., colony, etc.
 

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/kəlt/
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