Heathen
/ˈhiː.ðən/noun
A person regarded as not belonging to a widely held religion, especially Christianity; by extension, an irreligious or uncivilized person.
Did you know?The word entered English as a Christian label for people of the heath, but its deeper Germanic root is tied to “heath”/“heather” land, not demon worship—so the insult is literally about the margins.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*haiþinaz
“of the heath; a pagan, a person outside the Christian community”
Old English
OE
hǣþen
“pagan, gentile, non-Christian”
Old High German
OHG
heidan
“pagan”
Old Norse
ON
heiðinn
“pagan”
Middle English
English
hethen / hethene
“pagan, not Christian”
Modern English
English
heathen
“a nonbeliever or irreligious person; by extension, a rude or uncivilized person”