Cathar
/ˈkæθ.ɑːr/noun
A member of a medieval Christian sect in southern France and northern Italy, regarded as heretical by the Catholic Church.
Did you know?The name Cathar was often linked by medieval opponents to Greek katharos, meaning “pure,” which made the sect’s identity a battleground over who got to claim spiritual purity.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
katharós
“pure, clean”
Late Antiquity
Greek/Latin
Katharoi
“the pure ones; a name associated with certain ascetic or sectarian groups”
12th Century
Old Occitan/Medieval Latin
Cathari
“name applied to the dualist religious movement in southern Europe”
Middle Ages
Latin
Cathari
“Cathars; heretical sect labeled and described by church writers”
Modern English
English
Cathar
“a member of the medieval Cathar movement”