Etymology[edit]

Cicero defined religio as cultus deorum, "the cultivation of the gods".^[1] The "cultivation" necessary to maintain a specific deity was that god's cultus, "cult", and required "the knowledge of giving the gods their due" (scientia colendorum deorum).^[2] The noun cultus originates from the past participle of the verb colo, colere, colui, cultus, "to tend, take care of, cultivate", originally meaning "to dwell in, inhabit" and thus "to tend, cultivate land (ager); to practice agriculture", an activity fundamental to Roman identity even when Rome as a political center had become fully urbanized.


Cultus is often translated as "cult" without the negative connotations the word may have in English, or with the Old English word "worship", but it implies the necessity of active maintenance beyond passive adoration. Cultus was expected to matter to the gods as a demonstration of respect, honor, and reverence; it was an aspect of the contractual nature of Roman religion (see do ut des).^[3] Augustine of Hippo echoes Cicero's formulation when he declares, "religion is nothing other than the cultus of God."^[4]


The term "cult" first appeared in English in 1617, derived from the French culte, meaning "worship" which in turn originated from the Latin word cultus meaning "care, cultivation, worship". The meaning "devotion to a person or thing" is from 1829. Starting about 1920, "cult" acquired an additional six or more positive and negative definitions. In French, for example, sections in newspapers giving the schedule of worship for Catholic services are headed Culte Catholique, while the section giving the schedule of Protestant services is headed culte réformé. Within the Catholic Church, the most prominent cults are those of the saints.