etymology · 300s–400s
pagan
Drift #27 · Jun 8, 2026 · status
Meaning comparison
Today it means
a person holding non-Christian or non-Abrahamic religious beliefs
It used to mean (300s–400s)
a villager; a rural country-dweller
Etymology
'Pagan' comes from Latin 'paganus' — a villager, a country-dweller, from 'pagus' (a rural district). Christianity spread first through cities; rural people were the last to convert. By the late Roman period, 'paganus' had come to mean one who still followed the old rural religion, and eventually any non-Christian.
The Drift
How the meaning shifted over time
the drift
In Historical Context
The bishop noted that the pagans of the remote valleys still gathered at the old stone circles, for the new faith had not yet reached them.
drift fact
'Peasant' and 'pagan' share the same Latin root 'pagus' — both words trace back to those who lived in the countryside.
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