religion

Where does the word "religion" come from? It comes from Latin religio, passing through Old French before entering English (1200s).

Religion’s story begins in Latin: religio meant “reverence, scruple.” Origin disputed since antiquity: Cicero derived it from relegere 're-read, go over carefully', while the Christian writer Lactantius preferred religare 'to bind'. By 1100s, the word had taken hold in Old French as religion. Meant above all the life of a monastic order. It reached English by 1200s as religion. Henry VIII's Act of Supremacy of 1534 made the king head of the Church of England, turning religion into a matter of state. Today, religion means belief in and worship of a god or gods; a particular system of faith.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · classical religio "reverence, scruple", origin disputed since antiquity: Cicero derived it from relegere 're-read, go over carefully', while the Christian writer Lactantius preferred religare 'to bind'.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · 1100s religion "monastic life", meant above all the life of a monastic order.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1200s religion "belief and worship", Henry VIII's Act of Supremacy of 1534 made the king head of the Church of England, turning religion into a matter of state.