From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpaganpa‧gan1 /ˈpeɪɡən/ adjective RRpagan religious beliefs and customs do not belong to any of the main religions of the world, and may come from a time before these religions ancient pagan temples
Examples from the Corpus
pagan• Within a generation or two aristocratic Christians were pursuing the same interests as their pagan ancestors.• Not only in its primitive and pagan aspects, but also in sacred and scientific form.• This ritual suggests the pagan belief in the baptism by blood rather than water as being more binding.• ancient pagan beliefs and rituals• pagan Germanic tribes• Justin was martyred along with five other men and a woman for reftising to worship pagan gods.• He found himself before the emperor a second time, after torching a pagan idol; his punishment was a severe flogging.• From 326 onwards pagan temples began to suffer the gradual loss of old endowments.• We could do the sort of like, I was just thinking, weird pagan things.• The spruce branch fell to the floor and the ivy wound itself around her neck like some pagan wreath.paganpagan2 noun [countable] 1 RR (also Pagan) someone who believes in a pagan religion2 RRsomeone with few or no religious beliefs – used humorously —paganism noun [uncountable]Examples from the Corpus
pagan• According to legend, Eurosia was a maiden of noble birth, who was promised to a pagan.• He also learned that Christians could be as evil as pagans.• But he could also be dismayed if Christians were heard by pagans to be talking nonsense about nature.• Like converted pagans, they were reluctant to give up their old gods.• They are so virtuous that one can hardly call them pagans at all.• It was a standard sequence of conquest, and not confined to pagans.• Virtuous pagans, however, were quite another matter.Origin pagan2 (1300-1400) Late Latin paganus, from Latin, “someone who lives in the country”, from pagus “country area” 