Both Uses of
heathen
in
O Pioneers!
- Don't they ever teach you in your history classes that you'd all be heathen Turks if it hadn't been for the Bohemians?†
Chpt 2.1 *heathen = someone who is not civilized or not moral OR an offensive term for a person who does not believe in a preferred religion
- The old people in the mountains plant lindens to purify the forest, and to do away with the spells that come from the old trees they say have lasted from heathen times.†
Chpt 2.8
Definitions:
-
(1)
(heathen) someone who is not civilized or not moral -- typically said humorously
or:
an offensive term for a person who does not believe in a preferred religion -- especially someone who grew up in a culture that is not familiar with the religion -
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
More rarely, heathen can refer to a person who lacks culture or good taste.