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cult

   Also found in: Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.03 sec.
cult  (klt)
n.
1.
a. A religion or religious sect generally considered to be extremist or false, with its followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader.
b. The followers of such a religion or sect.
2. A system or community of religious worship and ritual.
3. The formal means of expressing religious reverence; religious ceremony and ritual.
4. A usually nonscientific method or regimen claimed by its originator to have exclusive or exceptional power in curing a particular disease.
5.
a. Obsessive, especially faddish, devotion to or veneration for a person, principle, or thing.
b. The object of such devotion.
6. An exclusive group of persons sharing an esoteric, usually artistic or intellectual interest.

[Latin cultus, worship, from past participle of colere, to cultivate; see kwel-1 in Indo-European roots.]

cultic, cultish adj.
cultism n.
cultist n.

cult
Noun
1. a specific system of religious worship
2. a sect devoted to the beliefs of a cult
3. devoted attachment to a person, idea, or activity
4. a popular fashion: the bungee-jumping cult
Adjective
very popular among a limited group of people: a cult TV series [Latin cultus cultivation, refinement]
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.cult - followers of an exclusive system of religious beliefs and practices
organized religion, religion, faith - an institution to express belief in a divine power; "he was raised in the Baptist religion"; "a member of his own faith contradicted him"
macumba - (Brazil) followers of a religious cult of African origin
obeah, obi - (West Indies) followers of a religious system involving witchcraft and sorcery
Rastafarian - (Ethiopia) adherents of an African religion that regards Ras Tafari as divine
voodoo - (Haiti) followers of a religion that involves witchcraft and animistic deities
Rastafari, Rastas - (Jamaica) a Black youth subculture and religious movement that arose in the ghettos of Kingston, Jamaica, in the 1950s; males grow hair in long dreadlocks and wear woolen caps; use marijuana and listen to reggae music
Wicca - a community of followers of the Wicca religion
cultist - a member of a religious cult
2.cultcult - an interest followed with exaggerated zeal; "he always follows the latest fads"; "it was all the rage that season"
fashion - the latest and most admired style in clothes and cosmetics and behavior
3.cult - followers of an unorthodox, extremist, or false religion or sect who often live outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader
organized religion, religion, faith - an institution to express belief in a divine power; "he was raised in the Baptist religion"; "a member of his own faith contradicted him"
cargo cult - (Melanesia) the followers of one of several millenarian cults that believe salvation will come in the form of wealth (`cargo') brought by westerners; some ascribe divine attributes to westerners on first contact (especially to missionaries)
cultist - a member of an unorthodox cult who generally lives outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader
4.cult - a religion or sect that is generally considered to be unorthodox, extremist, or false; "it was a satanic cult"
faith, religion, religious belief - a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny; "he lost his faith but not his morality"
5.cult - a system of religious beliefs and rituals; "devoted to the cultus of the Blessed Virgin"
faith, religion, religious belief - a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny; "he lost his faith but not his morality"
cargo cult - a religious cult that anticipates a time of joy, serenity, and justice when salvation comes
macumba - a Brazilian religious cult of African origin; combines voodoo elements with singing and chanting and dancing
obeah, obi - a religious belief of African origin involving witchcraft and sorcery; practiced in parts of the West Indies and tropical Americas
Rastafarianism - a religious cult based on a belief that Ras Tafari (Haile Selassie) is the Messiah and that Africa (especially Ethiopia) is the Promised Land
hoodooism, vodoun, voodooism, voodoo - a religious cult practiced chiefly in Caribbean countries (especially Haiti); involves witchcraft and animistic deities

cult
noun 2. craze, fashion, trend, fad
Translations
Spanish cult [kʌlt] nculto;
a cult figure → un ídolo

French cult [kʌlt] nculte m
German cult [kʌlt] nKult m
Italian cult [kʌlt] nculto

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Even the wise and mysterious therns of Barsoom, that ancient cult which for countless ages has been credited with holding the secret of life and death in their impregnable fastnesses upon the hither slopes of the Mountains of Otz, are as ignorant as we.
To the Chinese such commonplace things as marriage, friendship, and home have an infinitely deeper meaning than can be attached to them by civilisation which practically lives abroad, in the hotels and restaurants and open houses of others, where there is no sanctity of the life within, no shrine set apart for the hidden family re-union, and the cult of the ancestral spirit.
But that there might be no mistake I despatched a priest of your own holy cult to make the test that should pierce his disguise and reveal the truth.
 
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