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Origin and history of religious

religious(adj.)

c. 1200, "devout, pious, imbued with or expressive of religious devotion," used of Christians, Jews, pagans; also "belonging to a religious order," from Anglo-French religius, Old French religious (12c., Modern French religieux) and directly from Latin religiosus, "pious, devout, reverencing or fearing the gods," also "religiously careful, anxious, or scrupulous," from religio "religious observance; holiness" (see religion).

The meaning "pertaining to religion" is from 1530s. The transferred sense of "scrupulous, exact, conscientious" is recorded from 1590s but restores or revives a sense right at home among the superstitious Romans. As a noun, from c. 1200 as "persons bound by vow to a religious order;" from late 14c. as "pious persons, the devout." Related: Religiousness.

also from c. 1200

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religion(n.)

c. 1200, religioun, "state of life bound by monastic vows," also "action or conduct indicating a belief in a divine power and reverence for and desire to please it," from Anglo-French religiun (11c.), Old French religion, relegion "piety, devotion; religious community," and directly from Latin religionem (nominative religio) "respect for what is sacred, reverence for the gods; conscientiousness, sense of right, moral obligation; fear of the gods; divine service, religious observance; a religion, a faith, a mode of worship, cult; sanctity, holiness," in Late Latin "monastic life" (5c.).

This noun of action was derived by Cicero from relegere "go through again" (in reading or in thought), from re- "again" (see re-) + legere "read" (see lecture (n.)). However, popular etymology among the later ancients (Servius, Lactantius, Augustine) and the interpretation of many modern writers connects it with religare "to bind fast" (see rely), via the notion of "place an obligation on," or "bond between humans and gods." In that case, the re- would be intensive. Another possible origin is religiens "careful," opposite of negligens.

In English, the meaning "particular system of faith in the worship of a divine being or beings" is by c. 1300; the sense of "recognition of and allegiance in manner of life (perceived as justly due) to a higher, unseen power or powers" is from 1530s.

His [St. James's] intention is somewhat obscured to the English reader from the fact that 'religious' and 'religion,' by which we have rendered [thrēskos] and [thrēskeia], possessed a meaning once which they now possess no longer, and in that meaning are here employed. St. James is indeed claiming for the new dispensation a superiority over the old, in that its very [thrēskeia] consists in acts of mercy, of love, of holiness, in that it has light for its garment, its very robe being righteousness .... [Archbishop Trench, "Synonyms of the New Testament," 1854]
irreligious(adj.)

"not religious, without religious principles; condemning religion, impious, ungodly," c. 1400, from Late Latin irreligiosus "irreligious, impious," from assimilated form of in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + religiosus (see religious). Related: Irreligiously.

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religiosity
late 14c., religiosite, "religious feeling, reverence for God, piety," from Old French religiosete and directly from Late Latin religiositas "religiousness," from religiosus "pious, devout, reverencing or fearing the gods," also "religiously careful, anxious, or scrupulous" (see
secular
c. 1300, seculer, in reference to clergy, "living in the world, not belonging to a religious order," also generally, "belonging to the state" (as opposed to the Church), from Old French seculer, seculare (Modern French séculier) and directly from Late Latin saecularis "worldly, s
spiritual
c. 1300, "of or concerning the spirit, immaterial" (especially in religious aspects), also "of or concerning the church," from Old French spirituel, esperituel (12c.) or directly from a Medieval Latin ecclesiastical use of Latin spiritualis "pertaining to spirit; of or pertaining
sacrosanct
"superlatively sacred or inviolable," c. 1600, from Latin sacrosanctus "inviolable, protected by religious sanction, consecrated...with religious ceremonies," from sacro, ablative of sacrum "religious sanction, religious rite" (from neuter singular of...
procession
late Old English, "set of persons walking or riding formally or with ceremonious solemnity; a religious procession; the triumphal...entry of Jesus into Jerusalem," from Old French procession "procession" (religious or secular), 11c., and directly from...Late Latin processionem (nominative processio) "religious procession," in classical Latin "a marching onward, a going forward...
edification
mid-14c., in religious use, "a building up of the soul," from Old French edificacion "a building, construction; edification...Religious use is as translation of Greek oikodome in I Corinthians xiv. Meaning "mental improvement" is 1650s....Literal sense of "building" is rare in English, but Middle English bilding sometimes was used in religious writing to translate...
solemn
mid-14c., solemne, solempne, "performed with due religious ceremony or reverence; sacred, devoted to religious observances...," also, of a vow, etc., "made under religious sanction, binding," from Old French solempne, solemne (12c., Modern French...One of de Vaan's sources offers *soll-epli- "with all (due) religious performances, with all due rites" and dissimilation...In Middle English also "famous, important; imposing, grand," hence Chaucer's friar, a ful solempne man but a religious hypocrite...
friar
"member of one of the mendicant monastic orders of the Church," late 13c., frere, from Old French frere "brother, friar" (9c., Modern French frère), originally referring to the mendicant orders (Franciscans, Augustines, Dominicans, Carmelites), who reached England early 13c., fro
Jesuit
1540s, from Modern Latin Jesuita, member of the Societas Jesu ("Society of Jesus"), founded 1533 by Ignatius Loyola to combat Protestantism. See Jesus. Their enemies (in both Catholic and Protestant lands) accused them of belief that ends justify means, hence the sense "a crafty
monk
"member of a community or fraternity of men formed for the practice of religious devotions or duties and bound by certain vows," Old English munuc (used also of women), from Proto-Germanic *muniko- (source also of Old Frisian munek, Middle Dutch monic, Old High German munih, Germ

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