People who do not follow a major organized religion, or more broadly, people considered uncivilized or rude.
From Old English 'hæthen,' related to Germanic words meaning 'not belonging to the community.' Originally used by Christians to describe non-believers, the term evolved from a religious boundary marker to a general insult.
The word 'heathen' tells us something fascinating about how groups throughout history define themselves by what they're *not*—early religious communities needed a word for outsiders, which says more about group psychology than about the people being labeled.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.