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Added 9 October 2026

heretic

/ˈhɛɹɪtɪk/ noun

In Latin: haereseus, haeresiacus, haereticus Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about heretic at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A person who holds religious beliefs in conflict with the dogma of the Roman Catholic Church.
A person who holds unorthodox opinions in any field (not merely religion).

Origin

From Middle English heretyk, heretike, from Old French eretique, from Medieval Latin or Ecclesiastical Latin haereticus, from Ancient Greek αἱρετικός (hairetikós, “able to choose, factious”), itself from Ancient Greek αἱρέω (hairéō, “to choose”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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