Both Uses
heathen
in
The Return of the King
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- We will burn like heathen kings before ever a ship sailed hither from the West.†
Chpt 5.4 *heathen = someone who is not civilized or not moral OR an offensive term for a person who does not believe in a preferred religion
- And only the heathen kings, under the domination of the Dark Power, did thus, slaying themselves in pride and despair, murdering their kin to ease their own death.†
Chpt 5.7
Definitions:
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(1)
(heathen) an often offensive (sometimes humorous) word for someone seen as uncivilized or immoral, especially because she does not share the speaker’s religion or comes from a culture unfamiliar with itThis word is usually judgmental or insulting, so today it is used mostly in joking contexts or when describing older attitudes.
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(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) More rarely, heathen can refer to a person who lacks culture or good taste.