English
polytheism
Polytheism comes from French polythéisme, from Ancient Greek θεός ‘a deity’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- ‘to do’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeh₁-1‘to do’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰéh₁s1‘god, godhead, deity’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰh₁sós1reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*tʰehós1‘god, deity’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEθεός1theós‘a deity’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentpolythéisme1
- Englishearliest quotation 1734polytheism1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English polytheism
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1734, George Sale: “And remember when Lokmân said unto his son, as…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeh₁-Wiktionary, English polytheism‘to do’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰéh₁sWiktionary, English polytheism‘god, godhead, deity’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰh₁sósWiktionary, English polytheismreconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*tʰehósWiktionary, English polytheism‘god, deity’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEθεόςWiktionary, English polytheismtheós‘a deity’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentpolythéismeWiktionary, English polytheism
- Englishearliest quotation 1734polytheismWiktionary, English polytheism. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1734, George Sale: “And remember when Lokmân said unto his son, as…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- ‘to do’
do, fact, deal, hot, defense, fan, benefit, fashion, feature, mid, defence, custom, sufficient, theme, treasury, treasure, ethnic, defendant, ethical, doom, tick, deed, aesthetic, synthetic, thesis, auditorium, auditor, demi, ethic, deem, spade, familial, medial, forfeit, ethos, medallion, prefect, certify, thematic, duma, 112 more
through Proto-Indo-European *dʰéh₁s ‘god, godhead, deity’
fair, feast, dis, feral, fanatic, profanity, profane, fane, fayre, 22 more
through Ancient Greek θεός ‘a deity’
theology, atheist, atheism, apotheosis, monotheism, theist, pantheism, 15 more
Today it means
noun The belief in the existence of multiple gods.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “polytheism”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- / polytheism