Where does “cult” come from?
Cult comes from French culte, from Latin cultus, the past participle of colo meaning to till or cultivate, from Proto-Indo-European kʷel-.
cult (English): A group, sect or movement following an unorthodox...
Definitions
- A group, sect or movement following an unorthodox...
Ancestry of “cult”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | culte | religion; cult |
| 2 | Latin | cultus | tilled, cultivated, having been cultivated;... |
| 3 | Latin | colere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 4 | Latin | colo | I till, cultivate the land; I inhabit; I protect,... |
| 5 | Latin | quelo | — |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | kʷelō | to inhabit |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷéleti | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷel- | to turn |