heresy
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heresy
- /ˈhɛɹəsi/
Rhymes with -ɛɹəsi
Where it comes from
From Middle English heresie (Middle English her(esie) + -esy), from Old French heresie (modern hérésie), from Latin haeresis, from Ancient Greek αἵρεσις (haíresis, “choice, system of principles”), from αἱρέομαι (hairéomai, “to take for oneself, to choose”), the middle voice of αἱρέω (hairéō, “to take”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *ser-; see also Welsh herw (“theft, raid”), Ancient Greek στερέω (steréō, “to deprive of”). Displaced native Old English dwild.
noun heresies · hæresy
- A doctrine held by a member of a religion at variance or conflict with established religious beliefs. Heresy meant deliberate departure from the accepted doctrines of the church. It was intellectual and spiritual dissent and concerned the beliefs of Christianity, not the morals of its adherents.
- A controversial or unorthodox opinion held by a member of a group, as in politics, philosophy or science. I'm going to declare a heresy for you. All science, if you go back into its roots, saying: 'Why do I believe this?' 'Well, I believe this because of these tests and this proof.' 'Well, why do I believe this?' 'Why did I set up this test?' 'Why did I believe that proof?' All science goes back to some
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: heterodoxy, unorthodoxy, heretic, heretical, cult, eutychian, apollinarian, sin, evil, schism, dissidence, deviation, apostasy, misbelief, profanation, sacrilege
Translations
Every language
noun dissension from religious dogma
| Español | herejía |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 이단 idan, 사교 sagyo, 사종 sajong |
| 日本語 | 異端 itan, 邪教 jakyō, 邪宗 jashū |
| 中文 | 異端 /异端 yìduān, 邪說 /邪说 xiéshuō, 異教 /异教 yìjiào, 邪教 xiéjiào |
| हिन्दी | अपधर्म apdharm, पाषंड pāṣaṇḍ, पाखंड pākhaṇḍ |
| Português | heresia |
| Français | hérésie |
| Deutsch | Häresie, Ketzerei |
| Italiano | eresia |
| Ελληνικά | αίρεση aíresi |
| Română | erezie |
| Русский | е́ресь jéresʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | dị giáo, tà giáo |
| العربية | هَرْطَقَة harṭaqa, بِدْعَة bidʕa |
| עברית | כְּפִירָה kfirá, מִינוּת minút |
Talk about this word "heresy." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/heresy. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. heresy. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/heresy "heresy." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/heresy.Cite this
@misc{heresy_2026,
title = {heresy},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/heresy},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
