Heathenry
name, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 The state of being heathen. uncountable, usually
"It was as though she were some tinted and lavishly adorned statue of barbaric heathenry, and he her postulant; and her large eyes appeared to judge an immeasurable path, beyond him."
- 2 Alternative letter-case form of Heathenry (“Germanic (neo)paganism”). alt-of, uncountable, usually
"Asatru is one of the most popular types of heathenry."
- 1 The old Germanic (Norse, Anglo-Saxon, etc.) religion(s).
- 2 Any modern reconstruction of one of these religions; Germanic neopaganism.
"In Britain, Heathenry is the most common name used for an emergent religion based on the old gods, goddesses, and spirits (wights) that were part of everyday life in Northern Europe before the coming of the Christian era. Thus, Heathenry is, in some sense, a reconstructed religion. People often discover Heathenry through finding the mythology of Northern Europe and attempting to learn more about the culture and spirituality of this part of the world."
Example
More examples"In Britain, Heathenry is the most common name used for an emergent religion based on the old gods, goddesses, and spirits (wights) that were part of everyday life in Northern Europe before the coming of the Christian era. Thus, Heathenry is, in some sense, a reconstructed religion. People often discover Heathenry through finding the mythology of Northern Europe and attempting to learn more about the culture and spirituality of this part of the world."
Etymology
From heathenry.
From heathen + -ry.
Related phrases
More for "heathenry"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.