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P&S Moderators: JackARoe | Cheshire_Kat
What does the word Cult mean?
- Thread starter lemaragoo
- Start date
hiphophippy
Bluelighter
Being an organized party of anyone who share a collective (false) idea of any type pertaining to spirituality or the naturals that has been formed into a semi firm religious set.
1610s, "worship," also "a particular form of worship," from Fr. culte (17c.), from L. cultus "care, labor; cultivation, culture; worship, reverence," originally "tended, cultivated," pp. of colere "to till" (see colony). Rare after 17c.; revived mid-19c. with reference to ancient or primitive rituals. Meaning "devotion to a person or thing" is from 1829.
Cult. An organized group of people, religious or not, with whom you disagree. [Rawson]
*Online Etymology Dictionary
Cult. An organized group of people, religious or not, with whom you disagree. [Rawson]
*Online Etymology Dictionary
ebola?
Bluelight Crew
Sociologically, a cult is a newly established religion with few followers. Cults are more likely than religious sects to focus on a single, charismatic human figure who is still alive.
ebola
ebola
MyFinalRest
Bluelighter
why does the word "occult" mean unknown or clandestine...?
^ because words in english can appear very similar - even include other words - but come from different roots.
cult is from the latin cultus "care, labor; cultivation, culture; worship, reverence," originally "tended, cultivated,"
occult is from the latin occultus "hidden, concealed, secret,"
source: an etymological dictionary (same one as ugly, i think
)
alasdair
cult is from the latin cultus "care, labor; cultivation, culture; worship, reverence," originally "tended, cultivated,"
occult is from the latin occultus "hidden, concealed, secret,"
source: an etymological dictionary (same one as ugly, i think
)alasdair
MyFinalRest
Bluelighter
^your response doesn't confirm that the latin origin words cult and occult are unrelated. You just gave a definition for cult and occult and said both were of latin origin. Both words in latin contain this "cultus," and unlike Japanese, quite often in European languages, words that contain fragments with the same sound and spelling are related.
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MyFinalRest
Bluelighter
^and that's why I said "quite often" instead of "always!"
MFR, cultus is the perfect passive participle of colō (“till, cultivate; worship”). Latin has all different endings to signify the word's purpose in a sentence, and Latin purposes a word to carry the weight of gender, number and case. Culta would be used as one of the following:
1. nominative feminine singular of cultus
2. nominative neuter plural of cultus
3. accusative neuter plural of cultus
The nominative case of colō would decline into cultus, culti, (masculine singular and plural); culta, cultae, (feminine singular and plural); cultum, culta, (neutral singular and plural.)
The word "cult" is from the "mother tongue" if you will...derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *kʷel-
The word "occult" is from the derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *kel- and the prefix /ob/, an accusative preposition which can be used in different ways. The reason it isn't "obcult" is because people speaking Latin shortened words just like other languages do. Instead of being asked, "Where Are You Going?" I usually hear something that sounds like "where ya goin?" Latin saved the O from /ob/ and doubled the first consonant in the word. Thus, occult.
I love Latin because it takes a root and adds endings, so there are just more possibilities for nuance.
1. nominative feminine singular of cultus
2. nominative neuter plural of cultus
3. accusative neuter plural of cultus
The nominative case of colō would decline into cultus, culti, (masculine singular and plural); culta, cultae, (feminine singular and plural); cultum, culta, (neutral singular and plural.)
The word "cult" is from the "mother tongue" if you will...derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *kʷel-
The word "occult" is from the derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *kel- and the prefix /ob/, an accusative preposition which can be used in different ways. The reason it isn't "obcult" is because people speaking Latin shortened words just like other languages do. Instead of being asked, "Where Are You Going?" I usually hear something that sounds like "where ya goin?" Latin saved the O from /ob/ and doubled the first consonant in the word. Thus, occult.
I love Latin because it takes a root and adds endings, so there are just more possibilities for nuance.
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MyFinalRest
Bluelighter
And we now know this not because what alasdair posted, but through ugly and her valliant and inexhaustible knowledge of linguistics.
Termino
Bluelighter
The term 'cult' has a very different meaning now than it did originally. Formerly used as a term to describe a system of ritual practice, cult and sect were virtually synonymous. But over the years, cult has come to denote a relatively small, far-from-mainstream group that typically displays several characteristics such as centering around a highly charismatic leader, utilization of mind control techniques, the giving of large amounts of money/possessions to the group, inability to leave at will, and other similar issues that revolve around control. Under this definition, cult members are like brainwashed zombies who have no will of their own but blindly follow their enlightened leader no matter what he/she says.
Personally I think the term has gained so many negative connotations due to popular films & books that highlight the bizarre aspects of some fringe groups. This is really unfortunate as this broad-brush definition paints anyone out of the mainstream as being bad.