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Origin and history of religion

religion(n.)

c. 1200,religioun, "state of life bound by monastic vows," also "action or conduct indicating a belief in a divine power and reverence for and desire to please it," from Anglo-Frenchreligiun (11c.), Old Frenchreligion,relegion "piety, devotion; religious community," and directly from Latinreligionem (nominativereligio) "respect for what is sacred, reverence for the gods; conscientiousness, sense of right, moral obligation; fear of the gods; divine service, religious observance; a religion, a faith, a mode of worship, cult; sanctity, holiness," in Late Latin "monastic life" (5c.).

This noun of action was derived by Cicero fromrelegere "go through again" (in reading or in thought), fromre- "again" (seere-) +legere "read" (seelecture (n.)). However, popular etymology among the later ancients (Servius, Lactantius, Augustine) and the interpretation of many modern writers connects it withreligare "to bind fast" (seerely), via the notion of "place an obligation on," or "bond between humans and gods." In that case, there- would be intensive. Another possible origin isreligiens "careful," opposite ofnegligens.

In English, the meaning "particular system of faith in the worship of a divine being or beings" is by c. 1300; the sense of "recognition of and allegiance in manner of life (perceived as justly due) to a higher, unseen power or powers" is from 1530s.

His [St. James's] intention is somewhat obscured to the English reader from the fact that 'religious' and 'religion,' by which we have rendered [thrēskos] and [thrēskeia], possessed a meaning once which they now possess no longer, and in that meaning are here employed. St. James is indeed claiming for the new dispensation a superiority over the old, in that its very [thrēskeia] consists in acts of mercy, of love, of holiness, in that it has light for its garment, its very robe being righteousness .... [Archbishop Trench, "Synonyms of the New Testament," 1854]

also from c. 1200

Entries linking to religion

lecture(n.)

c. 1300, "written works, literature;" late 14c., "learning from books," from Medieval Latinlectura "a reading," from Latinlectus, past participle oflegere "to read," originally "to gather, collect, pick out, choose" (compareelect), from PIE root*leg- (1) "to collect, gather," with derivatives meaning "to speak (to 'pick out words')." Thus to read is, perhaps, etymologically, to "pick out words."

The sense of "a reading aloud, action of reading aloud" (either in divine worship or to students) in English emerged early 15c. That of "a discourse on a given subject before an audience for purposes of instruction" is from 1530s. The meaning "admonitory speech given with a view to reproof or correction" is from c. 1600.

Lecture-room is attested from 1793;lecture-hall from 1832. In Greek the words still had the double senses relating to "to speak" and "to gather" (apologos "a story, tale, fable;"elaiologos "an olive gatherer").

rely(v.)

mid-14c.,relien, "to gather, assemble" an army, followers, a host, etc. (transitive and intransitive), from Old Frenchrelier "assemble, put together; fasten, fasten again, attach, rally, oblige," from Latinreligare "fasten, bind fast," fromre-, here perhaps an intensive prefix (seere-), +ligare "to bind" (from PIE root*leig- "to tie, bind").

The older sense now are obsolete. The meaning "depend on with full trust and confidence, attach one's faith to" a person or thing is from 1570s, perhaps via the notion of "rally to, fall back on." Typically used withon, perhaps by influence of unrelatedlie (v.2) "rest horizontally." Related:Relied;relying.

The verbrely, in the orig. sense 'fasten, fix, attach,' came to be used with a special reference to attaching one's faith or oneself to a person or thing (cf. 'topin one's faith to a thing,' 'a man totie to,' colloquial phrases containing the same figure); in this use it became, by omission of the object, in transitive, and, losing thus its etymological associations (the other use, 'bring together again, rally,' having also become obsolete), was sometimes regarded, and has been by some etymologists actually explained, as a barbarous compound ofre- + E.lie (1) rest, .... But the pret. would then have been*relay, pp.*relain. [Century Dictionary]